Countless Stars
by Chibi Chidori
Summary: They met as children at a playground and have been inseparable ever since. They've shared all their memories with each other, the good and the bad. But enemy threats start straining their relationship and Naruto gets captured. What is one to do? SasuNaru
1. oo  My Most Precious Memory

_Countless Stars: My Existence in Life_

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto.  
Warnings: Angst, heavy sarcasm (to the point where it might get humorous?), drama, cursing. Oh, and yaoi (aka boyxboy).

Main Pairings will be Sasu/Naru (and other pairings to come, but you'll have to read to figure out what pairings I have in mind). If you happen to not like one or more of the warnings, I advise you to stop right now for the better of your sanity and mine.

Summary: AU: Good job, Naruto. Somehow you always manage to get yourself into these stupid situations that do no good for anybody except for your enemies. What kind of situation am I in right now, you ask? Well, for starters, I'm in the stomach of a shark. Yes that's right, a shark. (SasuNaru)

CC: A huge A/N at the bottom, explaining some things (if you guys haven't read the authors note.

**-0-**

**Chapter 00 – Prologue – My Most Precious Memory**

**-0-**

**R**eally, I could give myself a pat on the back. Good job, Naruto. Somehow, you always manage to get yourself into these stupid, life-threatening situations that do no good for anybody except for your enemies. I've lost count as to how many times I've put myself in these types of situations and honestly, it's even been irking me to some extent.

What kind of situation am I in right now, you ask? Well for starters, I'm in the stomach of a shark.

Yes that's right, a shark.

I have never personally seen the ocean that this animal inhabits, but somehow on one of my missions in the Fire Country, a place known for its massive _mountains_ and _plains_, I manage to land myself in a shark; a shark that doesn't happen to be anywhere near an ocean. And it also happens to be 5 times the size of a normal great white shark.

That's _huge_; that's around 30 meters long.*****

But I digress. I shouldn't be marveling at the concept of being in the stomach of an abnormally large shark. I should be thinking about a way to get out of this shark and get back to completing my mission and it was here that all my mental anguish stopped. _Sasuke. _I was on a mission with Sasuke! I started to panic, looking around to see if he was nearby, unconscious, with hydrochloric acid eating away at him and blanched at the thought, preferring to think of a more positive image. And all of what happened suddenly flew back to me; we ran into this extremely creepy looking dude who resembled, ironically, a shark. We were on a mission to gather information about one of the nearby civilian villages on rumors that it was supplying the hidden village of mist with artillery weapons and we didn't want another inside war to happen in the country. It was still healing from the last episode.

Then we ran across this dude, who smiled at me in a way that still gives me the chills, insisting that we follow him, saying that he'll show us the way to the civilian village. I scoffed slightly, annoyed at myself for believing the words of a strange man; some good it did me. I'm in the stomach of a shark being shipped off to who knows where. I'm surprised the stomach acid hasn't started eating away at me yet.

I looked into the darkness and my thoughts brought me back to Sasuke, wondering where he was and hoping he was okay. I closed my eyes as they started to sting and water up, brushing them away.

_Sasuke._

I could feel a bittersweet smile upon my face, and I think back to all the years we have been together. 15 years was an incredibly long time, and the memories were worth it. The tears started to spill and I hastily brushed away their existence with the back of my hand.

My life, especially my childhood, hasn't exactly been the most pleasant childhood a kid can ask for.

_My heart nearly stopped as I saw Sasuke before me, with senbon needles sticking out of him and the blood that dripped from his wounds started to soak my clothes as I continue to lie on the floor frozen in shock and fear._

_C-C_

"_Naruto, you're being stupid. These letters mean nothing, but what's more stupid is you hanging out with that Kiba guy. He's no good Naruto!" _

_The next few minutes felt like a second and a millennia all in one and the next thing I know, I see Sasuke on the floor, nursing a reddened cheek and I dismissed the stinging in my clenched fist continuing to glare at him. Shouts of, "Fight!" were faint in the background and suddenly there were hands grabbing me, separating me from Sasuke but I struggled to get out of their grip, wanting to inflict as much pain as possible._

_C – C_

_My heart felt like it had been ripped from me and I look to the picture of the stern-looking man with kind eyes before looking over to Sasuke, whose fists were clenched. My heart hurt even more as tears as I watched the tears fall from his eyes and I felt helpless, because I didn't know what to do to stop them from falling. I looked back to the picture and didn't bother to wipe my own._

_C – C_

"_Children, let's go home. You parents wouldn't want you to play with the likes of _him._" And at those words, she turned to me and I could feel her anger pierce me._

I shuddered at all the bad memories, shaking my head in an attempt to rid my head of these thoughts. Not all my memories were bad, honest! I've had quite a few pleasant memories that made my heart race so much with happiness that I thought, and was actually scared, it would burst.

But there was one memory that I cherish more than anything else.

My most precious memory.

**-0-**

**I**t was bright outside and a young Naruto ran into the little playground, excited to play with some kids his own age. He had a smile on his face that stretched from cheek to cheek. The other day, it might have not been the best weather, as it was cloudy, but there were sure to be some kids playing today! His breath became shallow as his excitement got the best of him and he arrived into the center of the playground out of breath. There were so many kids playing on the slides and in the sandbox! He headed over to one of the kids who seemed to be waiting for his friend or so he assumed, to come down the slide and Naruto brought up the courage to tap him on the shoulder. The child turned around and the blond gave him the biggest smile he could muster.

"Hi! My name is Naruto!" He says and just as the child is about to reply, an alarmed "Naoto!" was heard. Naruto turns and a woman walks up to the child, grabbing him harshly by the arm and dragging him away from the playground, motioning the other children to leave as well.

"Children, let's go home. Your parents wouldn't want you to play with the likes of _him_." And at those words, she turned to Naruto, who could feel her waves of anger pierce him. He shivered and felt cold while the playground slowly began to empty, save for the few children who chose to play in an area distant from the blond. Dejected, the young boy dragged his feet to the once occupied swings and climbed into the seat after some effort.

It was the same thing every time. 'No one would let me have friends',he thought. 'Was it something I did? Or maybe I was a bad person in my past life…'

He stayed on the swing, his eyes never leaving the ground as his mind got lost in his thoughts. Hours flew by and soon the playground completely emptied, the sun setting in the distant horizon and the blond never made an effort to cease his swinging.

"Hey." A small voice called out to the boy, startling him of his thoughts. A brunet boy stood before Naruto, face completely void of an expression. The two adolescents stare at each other for a couple of minutes, before Naruto rolls his eyes and looks to the ground again, preparing to push off the ground to swing before he was startled once more and fell off as his feet missed the intended contact with the ground.

"Hey, I'm talking to you." The brunet says once again, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt and rubbing the sole of his shoe into the dirt but not once looking away from the boy on the floor. Naruto looks up, rubbing a sore spot on his head from hitting the ground and watches as the other looks at him, lips tight together paired with a pair of determined looking eyes. 'Does he want to say something?'

"What is it? Is this your swing or something?" Naruto asks. The other just shakes his head fervently and at this, the blond starts to get frustrated and lifts himself from the ground, brushing the dirt off his clothes before making to move past the boy until a hand grabs his arm to stop him. Naruto turns around, ready to yell at the brunet but was interrupted before he could say anything.

"My name is Sasuke!" He blurts out and watches as the angry look dissipates from the blond child's face and turn into a smile; a smile he always wanted to see on the blond's face since he ran into him few days ago.

"My name is Naruto." The said boy watches as the brunet – Sasuke – shyly returns his smile and lifts his hand for a handshake.

"Hey Naruto, let's be friends." Sasuke watched Naruto tremble slightly, feeling slightly awkward as his hand was still in midair before he was completely taken aback as the child before him embraced him suddenly, a face burying into his shoulder and he was alarmed as he felt tears soaking his shirt before smiling a full smile.

"I'll take that as a yes, then."

Naruto did nothing but cry harder.

**-**_**Prologue - My Most Precious Memory -End**_**-**

_**22.12.10**_

**Chibi Chidori's Nonsense:  
**Oh my goodness…I just read over the old Countless Stars and I've realize how many years have passed since I wrote the first chapter and it also came to my attention how many years have passed since my last update. I apologize, although 3 of the years were used for recuperation of my surgery. I just wanted to let you guys know (maybe to your displeasure) is the fact that I will be rewriting a lot of the chapters (mainly the first 5). The storyline will completely change and it will not be the same story you read before (but it will be updated with my (hopefully) newly improved writing skills). And yes…The next year was my return back to University. Oh boy, does missing out for a whole year really mess with your mind. So yes, I apologize for that again. And hopefully you guys will stick with me for my revamped Countless Stars. And give it another shot (and read) and I really do promise that updates will occur yearly or sooner. So welcome to the newly revamped version of Countless Stars!

Thanks for you guys who have stuck with me so far, but I honestly vow I will never leave a work unfinished. Only on hiatus.

**Footnotes:  
* - **100 feet


	2. o1 Bonds

_Countless Stars: My Existence in Life_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, there would be a lot more Gaara-time in the manga.

Note: Chapters (and even in the chapters) will be going back between 3rd person's point of view and Naruto's point of view (or other characters, as I see fit). Forgive me, for when Naruto's talking, it doesn't seem like he's a little kid, but I, for the life of me, can't write what I want to in kindergarten language. So at times, it'll seem childish and other times seem mature. I'm trying to find an equal balance, but hopefully it'll be okay until they mature enough for me to constantly write in a non-childish way.

Warning: No actual frogs were harmed during the writing of this chapter. :D

**~0~**

**Chapter o1 ~ Bonds**

**~0~**

**N**aruto opened his azure eyes, blinking in an attempt to focus them. He rubbed at them with the sleeves of his pajama shirt when blinking failed and turned to the clock before falling to the ground in his sudden attempt to run to the bathroom.

"Oh no, I'm gonna be late! Sas'ke is gonna be so mad."

The door was slammed open and Naruto narrowly avoided crashing into another child in his mad dash to the bathroom, ignoring the yells from the caretaker to not slam doors. He grabbed his orange toothbrush from the caddy on the sink and quickly started to brush his teeth, using his free hand to scrub his head under the sink for a quick 'shower'. Shaking his head around similar to a dog, he shook the excess water from his hair before grabbing a towel to roughly dry his hair with, running back towards his room in the process. He rushed to put on his clothes and began his exit towards the door as he was pulling on his shoes, nearly tripping over his untied laces.

"Granny, I'm going to have dinner at a friend's house, so don't set a plate for me!" The blond shouted before closing the door behind him and running off.

It had been a couple of weeks since the day Sasuke and Naruto met and the times they spent together were the happiest days Naruto has experienced thus far. They met every day, taking turns pushing each other on the swing or sliding down the biggest slide together in glee. Sasuke had taken Naruto to the main playground that was in the middle of the village once, because of a newly built jungle gym and seesaw. However, Sasuke noticed, with great anger, the dirty looks the villagers continued sending Naruto and grabbed the blond's hand.

"The villagers were jerks." He had said.

'I don't know what a jerk is, but I can imagine that it's a very bad thing, because Sasuke looked angry.' Naruto thought, as he headed towards his destination. 'Sasuke looks scary when he's angry.'

The two never returned to the playground after that incident and within the next month, the playground disappeared and the lot was made into a library and child-care center. Sasuke took Naruto to the library several times, teaching Naruto the alphabet and how to read on the days it was too damp to go outside and play. Naruto was brought out of his thoughts as a flock of birds flew by him from a tree and looking ahead he grinned as he saw Sasuke waiting at the lamppost near the bridge.

"Sas'ke!" He shouts happily, running to close the distance. Sasuke returns a shy smile upon seeing Naruto.

"Naruto, it's Sasuke. And why do you have that weird grin on your face?" Immediately, the blond pouts, puffing out his cheek in mock annoyance.

"My grin is not weird!" He says, sticking out his tongue childishly. "And it's not my fault I can't say your name right. It's because your name is weird."

Sasuke merely rolls his eyes at the words that were thrown at him and reaches out to tug the hem of Naruto's shirt, urging the blond to follow him. Naruto quickly gets the hint before a package that his friend was holding catches his eye.

"Ne, Sas'ke, what did your mom make for us this time? Did she make us those sausages shaped like octopus again? They were called…um…Octodogs! That's right, octodogs, did she make any today? And where are we going to play today?" Naruto eagerly asked, tugging on Sasuke's free arm as they were walking.

"We're going to have a picnic by a lake today, Naruto. Have you ever seen a lake?" The brunet turns back to see Naruto shake his head in a negative, before turning forward again.

"Well, it's a big body of water and it's really cool! You can catch frogs and snails and stuff." Hearing that, Naruto got excited once more, before frowning as he realized that his first question wasn't answered.

"Sas'ke, what did your mom make today?" The blond asked again. The said boy snorted, muttering something which sounded similar to "pig" before slowing down his pace to allow his hungry and curious friend walk by his side.

"You'll just find out when we get there, Naruto. That's what a picnic is!"

**~0~**

**N**aruto's breath caught as the two boys made their way over the hill. A picturesque lay at the foot of the hill, a crystalline lake surrounded by lush greenery with the croaks of frogs and the chirps of birds filling the air. Naruto felt a hand grab his own, gently tugging him forward and he stumbled, mustering all his strength to keep his balance and prevent himself from tumbling down the hill.

"Naruto, hurry up! I'm starving!" The blond grins as he hears Sasuke's stomach growl, snickering before blushing as his own stomach joins in, the pang of hunger hitting them.

"Alright, let's go! Race ya to the bottom of the hill. And don't fall!" He says and mid-sentence Naruto sees Sasuke racing down, lunch in hand. The blond gawked, chasing after him immediately.

"Sas'ke, no fair! That's cheating!" Filled with adrenaline, Naruto attempts to reel in as much of the now-blurred landscape as possible as he makes his trek down the hill, laughter bursting out of his tired lungs. Never before had he felt so alive, so free and he spread his arms, eyes closing, and pretending that if he picked up enough speed he'd be able to fly as freely as a bird.

"Naruto, don't do that or you'll trip!" Azure eyes opened, startled by the voice interrupting his fantasy and meets cobalt, terror-filled eyes. Sasuke stared at the bottom of the hill, paling in fear as he sees his friend become temporarily suspended in air and dropping the bentos before running to Naruto. The blond, on the other hand, looked at Sasuke in wonder.

'I didn't realize Sas'ke could get any paler.' He thought first, before turning to the fallen bentos. 'Oh no, Sas'ke's mom's bentos are ruined!' And then, 'Oh, I tripped.'

And immediately, the panic alarm tripped in his mind, as the blond realized he was flying through the air, straight towards the ground. He flapped his spread limbs around, looking similar to a clumsy newborn chick trying to fly the nest too early. He braced himself, tucking in his chin and wrapping his arms around his head before he made contact with the ground, continuing to roll down the hill. In the midst of all this, he didn't think about the pain nor did he have flashes of his short life, but instead thought about how huge the hill was and wondering how he was still rolling down the hill despite running down a good half of it.

The things that happened next became a blur and Naruto felt himself crash into something solid, before tumbling some more until finally coming to a rest on something soft. Eyes still shut, he stayed in that position for a few more moments, in case physics decided to play a cruel joke on him and he would fall into a tumble again.

"Naruto, ge'off me. You're heavy." Came a muffled voice and azure eyes peeked to see annoyed dark eyes look at him from below.

"I'm not heavy" Narut muttered, pouting before rolling off to the side and spreading his arms in the grass, looking at the clouds passing by in the sky. He glanced to his right and azure eyes met cobalt ones once more.

"Stupid Naruto, you could've been hurt! Didn't you tell me not to fall?" Sasuke reprimanded. The two boys looked at each other in a moment that was blanketed with a calming silence before bursting out into laughter. The two couldn't have been any happier than they were in that moment.

**~0~**

"**S**as'ke! I can't catch any!" Naruto whines, brushing away the tears that continued to rise from his frustration, his good mood quickly diminishing. The blond _was_ happily full from the packed bento that Sasuke brought. He was continuously pegged by an over-eager Sasuke to comment on how the bento tasted and it was only after he answered that Naruto was 'allowed' to be taught how to catch the frogs in the lake. However, while Sasuke had caught and released more frogs than they could count, Naruto failed to catch any. He hadn't even felt one slip through his fingers and was beginning to think that coming to this picnic was a terrible idea.

"That's because you're too noisy! You have to be more quiet and stay still and wait 'till they come right to your feet!" He answered, looking down at the water that came to his knees. His brows were furrowed in concentration as he stayed completely still, although Naruto could argue that he looked constipated. And then like lightning, he suddenly made for the water and in a second he proudly raised his hands with a fat and confused looking frog between them.

"See? You have to be _very _quiet!" The blond nods and prepares to mimic his friend, looking into the water and staying completely still. The wind brushed his golden locks as the boy looked into the water, concentrated on the frogs that were swimming about his legs waiting for that one courageous frog. He could feel a slight adrenaline rush as he saw a frog approach his ankle in the water and made a grab for it, before losing his footing. Choking on water, Naruto quickly sat up, completely soaked and looking as miserable as a cat caught in the rain. He heard laughter and turned to give a quick glare at Sasuke, who was by no means trying to hide his amusement.

"It's not funny, Sas'ke!" The wet boy cries out, crossing his arms and turning away, only to peek out of the corner of his eye, only to see the other still laughing. Steadily, the laughs calmed into chuckles as the young Uchiha approached him slowly, before a wicked smile crossed the blond's lips.

"C'mon, Naruto. If the same thing happened to me, I'm sure you'll find it funny t-" He had no time to finish his sentence as the said boy grab his ankle and pulled, successfully landing Sasuke into the water before bursting out into laughter as he caught sight of his soaked friend's glare.

"You were right, Sas'ke! It is funny, you look like a wet–" He was abruptly cut off as Sasuke splashed him with water and it turned into a massive water fight, the frogs and the fish in the area fleeing due to all the disturbance in the water.

**~0~**

"**N**e, Sas'ke. Do you think your mom's going to get angry for dirtying your clothes?" Naruto asked quietly, his eyes to the ground. The two were on their way to the Uchiha compound after letting their clothes dry from their water fight, both with growling stomachs as the sun began to touch the horizon. As excited as he was, the blond was nervous about the dinner at his friend's house. He had never been invited over for dinner before and he didn't want to make a terrible impression in fear of Sasuke's parents forbidding any of their future meetings, like the other adults in the village. He gripped the hem of his shirt as he thought about never meeting with Sasuke again and his heart felt like it was tearing in two; he wanted to always be with Sasuke no matter what.

"No, it's fine. She knew we were going to the lake today and besides, my clothes aren't that dirty." The Uchiha answered, empty bentos in hand. And there was truth to his words, as most of the grime their clothes acquired during Naruto's tumble was washed away during their water fight.

"Well, I don't have parents. For as long as I could remember, whenever I waited at home, mommy or daddy never walked through the door. So I don't know how to act around your mom or dad." He said quietly, looking at the ground. Sasuke sighed and brought his arm across Naruto's shoulders, pulling him closer to fill the gap that began to develop between them.

"Don't worry, Naruto, it's fine. My mom's gonna love you; you have nothing to worry about." Azure eyes met cobalt, before closing in a smile.

"Alright Sas'ke, I won't worry." The said boy grinned and hugged the blond a little closer to him, before letting go as the Uchiha compound came into sight. His heart thumped a little in excitement; Naruto was the first friend he was bringing over and he really hoped that everyone loved him as much as he did. Unbeknown to Sasuke, the blond's heart was also beating in slight excitement, but for different reasons. He was excited to meet the family that his friend constantly talked about and hopefully, he'll get to experience what a real family was like. He glanced at his friend quickly before looking back to the compound that was growing larger in view with every step they took. Despite what Sasuke said, he still couldn't help but fear the family's disapproval and mentally prepared his mind and heart for rejection.

"Big brother!" Sasuke suddenly shouted, bringing Naruto out of his dwellings. The blond looked up and could immediately feel the heat rush up to his cheeks as he saw a beautiful young man sitting on the porch of the main estate, his calming gaze gentle yet strong and piercing. He was in slight awe at the resemblance between Sasuke and his older brother, but at the same time could see the many differences that made the two as separate individuals. While Sasuke was pale with hair so dark it sometimes tinted blue, his older brother had a slightly darker tone with a lighter shade of black and two stress lines running down from the center of his brows to his cheeks.

"Sasuke, I was wondering where you were. Who is your friend?" Naruto was suddenly pushed closer towards the older male, his face flushed as he continued to stare in awe.

"This is Naruto, big brother. Naruto, this is Itachi, my big brother I've always been telling you about!" Sasuke said behind him. Naruto turned, to see Sasuke smiling with wide eyes, awaiting his friend's approval of his big brother, before turning around to Itachi.

He looked at his feet shyly, mumbling a quick, "Hello" and after feeling Sasuke's hands leave his back, quickly made to move behind him in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. Itachi looked amused at the blond, already having a good idea of who Sasuke's friend was.

"Hello, Naruto." He said, giving a smile when he saw the blond nod in reply, before trying to bury himself further into his little brother's back. "How old are you?" He continued, trying to receive some sort of response from the child. Shyly, the blond help up 5 small fingers from behind Sasuke, and Itachi gave a nod, satisfied that he got some sort of response.

"Wow, 5 already? That makes you the same age as Sasuke, doesn't it? That makes me feel old."

"Itachi, 11 is not old! Mama and papa are old!" The young Uchiha said, muffling his laughter. Itachi looked at his younger brother with amusement.

"Hush, Sasuke, mother and father will be upset if they hear that." With this, he turned back to Naruto. "Well come, you can learn what Sasuke is learning too before I prepare for dinner."

He reached out for the boy's hand and with Sasuke's encouragement, the blond hesitantly took Itachi's hand, firmly grasping it once contact was made and the older male couldn't help but smile. With his free hand, he motioned for his brother, who happily took his hand and they went inside the compound, ready to learn the lessons Itachi had prepared for them.

"So Naruto, how much of the alphabet do you know?" Itachi asked as he settled the two boys into his study room, setting down a tray of tea and snacks to the side. He reached for some spare paper and calligraphy brushes, giving them each a set before placing himself in front of them, behind his desk. The blond picked up the brush, examining it quietly, before putting it back down and shyly meeting the other's eyes.

"I only know how to spell my name so far…Granny at the orphanage has a lot of kids to take care of, so she doesn't have time to teach us anything." He quietly said, averting his eyes to the material before him, before looking up again. "But, I'm not stupid! I know the alphabet song because Sas'ke's been teaching me! I can't read yet, but I'll get it soon." Itachi smiled at the determination he saw in the child's eye and nodded.

"That's good, Naruto. If you want, I'll help you whenever I teach Sasuke his lessons during the week." At Naruto's vigorous nodding, he chuckled.

"Ne, Naruto! I can help you too, whenever Itachi's not around!" Sasuke said, not enjoying how he was being left out of the conversation. He watched his older brother and his friend nod in agreement and the uncomfortable ache in his chest went away and unconsciously scooted closer towards the blond, not without the notice of Itachi.

"Well, we'll discuss this during dinner time. For now, let's practice perfecting your brush strokes. Write your name carefully inside the boxes I drew out for you and make sure you don't write outside the lines." Itachi said, getting into tutoring mode.

After minutes of writing and Naruto asking Itachi if his characters were correct, the oldest of the three brought them to a stop.

"Alright, we can take a break for now. But before we eat our snacks, I want to ask a question." He stated, looking up to see if he had the attention of the two before him before continuing. "What are your dreams?"

A calm silence enveloped the room as the young boys were deep in thought, before Sasuke decided what his dreams were.

"I want to be a great shinobi that you, mama, and papa can be proud of." He states, clear adoration for his older brother shining in his eyes. Itachi seemed to smile sadly at this, before he turned to Naruto. "How about you, Naruto? What do you wish to be?"

Naruto's brows furrowed as he grabbed his chin in though, before a smile appeared on his lips.

"I want to become a shinobi and then the greatest hokage ever!" He says, standing up in his excitement. At this, Itachi raised a brow.

"Why is that?" He asked. On the side, Sasuke also nodded, not knowing his friend had such a great dream.

"Well, it's because the hokage is loved by everyone in the village right?" Naruto asks, more to himself then to Itachi. "If I'm Hokage, then I can be loved by everyone and I can protect them too!" At this, another sullen look crossed Itachi's face. 'The poor child is starving for love and acceptance from the people who wrongly hate him.'

"That is a good dream, Naruto." Itachi said quietly, mussing Naruto's blond hair. Sasuke nodded enthusiastically, joining in. "Yeah Naruto, it's a great dream! I'll help you and we can be the two greatest shinobi of konohagakure ever!" He clasped hands with Naruto and jumped together with joy.

"You both have wonderful dreams." Itachi said, once again grabbing the attention of the two. Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other before grinning and turning back to Itachi.

"Ne, big brother? What is your dream?" Sasuke asks. Itachi was slightly taken aback, obviously not expecting to be asked this question before composing himself. He should have expected they would ask him the same question he asked them.

"My dream is to protect my most precious people no matter what." He said. His younger brother and the blond sat down as they tried to think about Itachi's dream, before he continued. "Shinobi are great people, don't get me wrong. But a shinobi is nothing without his teammates and even if they are on a mission, a shinobi who leaves his friends is a terrible shinobi, worse than dirt. A shinobi is strongest when he makes bonds and is protecting his precious people."

"Bonds?" Naruto questioned. Itachi nodded.

"That's right, bonds are important. Bonds are the connections – relationships – that people make with one another. Naruto, you have a bond with Sasuke, right? Would you be sad if Sasuke left all of a sudden?" At the older Uchiha's question, Naruto nodded vigorously. Just the thought of not being able to be with Sasuke was painful. "Treasure that bond, because people you make bonds with are special. And protecting these people, these bonds you have with these people, will make you a great shinobi."

"Ne, 'tachi, do I have a bond with you?" Naruto asked, shyly. Itachi chuckled, tilting his head in a positive gesture. "Of course, Naruto. I also have a bond with Sasuke, not only because he is my brother." He looked at the two boys as they digested the information that had just been fed to them, before pulling them out of their thoughts once more.

"Alright, enough about bonds, let's get to dinner. Who's hungry?" He asked as he got up, patting imaginary dust off his pants, before heading for the door.

"Me!" Sasuke and Naruto both yelled out in unison, following Itachi out the door and grasping his hands.

**~0~**

**A**fter dinner, which only consisted of the three as both parents were coming home later than planned, Itachi took Naruto back to the orphanage. Sasuke began to wash the dishes as he patiently waited for his mother to arrive home, only for her to come in shortly after his friend's departure and ran out to greet her. She came in with groceries, letting them down on the table, before taking over the dishes her son started.

"Sasuke-kun, how was your lesson with Itachi today? I want to hear what you learned about." Sasuke's mother prodded as she handed the wet dish over for Sasuke to dry. Sasuke hummed happily to himself, taking the wet dish and drying it with the slightly damp towel in his hands.

"Itachi taught us about the proper attitude a shinobishould have on missions and about how precious bonds are." Mikoto raised a brow at the "us".

"'Us', Sasuke? Did you study with someone else?" Sasuke nodded vigorously, stumbling on the stool he was standing on before balancing himself out. "Naruto came for dinner today and Itachi said Naruto could sit in on the lesson so we could learn together before we play. It was fun learning with someone else, because Naruto thinks up of different things. Brothersaid that he "was creative" or something." Mikoto smiled, turning back to her dishes.

"It seems you and Itachi-kun had a lot of fun today, no?" At Sasuke's affirmative, she continued. "Sasuke-kun, how about inviting Naruto-kun over for lunch and dinner tomorrow? And you two can have a sleepover while you're at it, since it's the weekend." She stifled her laugh as she saw her youngest son's eyes grow wide with slight disbelief.

"Really? Can I really invite him, mama?" She nodded and fought to keep her balance as she suddenly embraced the child's weight, turning off the water and drying her hands before patting his back. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He shouted into her apron, his voice slightly muffled.

"Sasuke-kun, I can't wash the dishes with you hugging me like that. Let's finish the dishes quick so you can sleep early and help me with lunch tomorrow, okay?" Immediately Sasuke let go and went back to the stool, towel in hand.

"We need to make a lot of octodogs and _takanazuke_. Naruto loves pickled vegetables!"

**-**_**Chapter o1 ~ Bonds -End**_**-**

**17.2.11**

**Chibi Chidori's Nonsense:**

Hey everyone, here's another update (albeit a little later than I would've liked). I've been working on this and some of my other works, but a lot of personal issues arose once again. It'd be nice of you guys to leave a comment and let me know what you thought, what you didn't like, and help me improve my writing and what-not. The dark side has cookies! :D But anyhow…

Itachi is very sweet, no? He was a pacifist (despite the Uchiha massacre) and I think a very kind person at heart, no matter what so this is how I'll portray him as. And Sasuke as a child before the massacre in the manga was a shy child outside of his home, so I'll try to depict their particular traits as accurately as possible, but kind of twist it in my own way. "Mama" is a very endearing term that children close to their mothers use in Japan, so I thought that would suit a younger Sasuke, him changing the pronoun as he gets older to show his maturity. Also, the age gap between Sasuke and Itachi is 6 years. In the manga, they are only 5 years apart, but I figure 1 year wouldn't hurt, right? :D He's also very mature for an 11 year old, but my sister is 11 and taller than be at 5 foot 8 and acts pretty mature for her age, so I'm depicting him as 'wise for his age'.

In addition, the difficult Japanese words will be italicized. The translation usually will be the following word or it'll be somewhere in the sentence(s). If it throws you off or confuses you, please let me know and I shall do my best to help you out and fix it so it doesn't confuse anyone. There will be a footnote at the end of the chapters (if there are any italicized Japanese words) for a direct translation, if you guys have trouble with it. There will be other Japanese words in the writing that I will not italicize, only because I feel that it should be a given, but if you don't understand, please let me know and I will add it to the dictionary on the bottom for your convenience.

The chapters will be sort of slow paced until chapter 4, where something major happens. Chapters leading up to that will be focused on building the relationship and character of Sasuke, Itachi, and Naruto because I want them to grow throughout this story. I think I'm quite a bit rusty on my writing, so please let me know what you think and how I should improve!

Thank you for reading this chapter (and reading my nonsense at the bottom of the page) and review please! The next chapter will hopefully be around in a month or less, but no promises.

**Japanese Dictionary**:

_Takanazuke – _pickled and salted vegetables, usually cabbage and other leafs. The takanazuke (takana for short) I usually eat/make consists of pickled and salted cabbages and radish leaves (marinated in a soy sauce based sauce). Despite how it sounds, it's usually low in sodium (because some of it is steamed or boiled so the salt leaves the vegetables) and it's very tasty, especially in _onigiri_ (rice balls). There are other varieties though.

**S. Wright **– Hello! Thank you for being my first reviewer! And I'm sorry you have a shark phobia (which is a shame, because I think sharks are cool, but hey, I'm scared of the dark, so I can't say much, can I? Haha) The shark will be mentioned briefly in a later chapter, but only briefly (to explain why he was in the stomach of a fish and how he'll get out and stuff) and it won't be mentioned after that…I think. So no worries! Don't want to scare off my readers or give them heart attacks :D Thank you so much for giving my story a chance and I hope this chapter did not disappoint!


	3. o2 A Parent's Love

_Countless Stars: My Existence in Life_

Disclaimer: Naruto solely belongs to Kishimoto, Masashi-san. The only things I own are the concepts and ideas of this fanfiction story. I also do not own "Snowy Day" by Ezra Keats

Warning: Chapters (and even in the chapters) will be going back between 3rd person's point of view and Naruto's point of view (or other characters, as I see fit). Forgive me, for when Naruto's talking, it doesn't seem like he's a little kid, but I, for the life of me, can't write what I want to in kindergarten language. So at times, it'll seem childish and other times seem mature. I'm trying to find an equal balance, but hopefully it'll be okay until they mature enough for me to constantly write in a non-childish way. And this chapter is un-betaed (still in search of one who is forgiving of my erratic writing schedule).

Note: No actual trees were harmed in the making of this chapter :D **P.S. Please help Japan through this natural disaster by donating! Links to donations (charity organizations) are in my profile!** **  
**

**~0~**

**Chapter o2 ~ A Parent's Love**

**~0~**

"**S**as'ke!" The said boy turned to see Naruto wave at him, running towards him from a distance before smiling and waving back. It was another nice, warm day in Konohagakure and the kindergarten program at the academy was done for the week.

"Naruto, you're late." There was no edge in his voice despite his words and a smile was his lips. The blond smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he approached his friend.

"Sorry, Sas'ke. Granny needed me to get some new stuff 'cause we got new kids at the orphanage today." Naruto said, looking at his friend carefully. "Are you mad?"

At this Sasuke crossed his arms and looked away in an "humph" to mock Naruto and pretend that he was. He peeked out of the corner of his eye to see his friend look at him morosely and he pulled his arms down before reaching out to grab the blond's hand, smiling.

"Of course 'm not mad, Naruto. C'mon, let's go before all the food gets cold! Mama made your favorites for lunch today!" Sasuke said, nearly dragging Naruto behind him as he caught the other by surprise. Naruto regained his balance, before running at an even pace behind Sasuke, looking at their entwined hands and thinking how nice and warm Sasuke's hand was.

**~0~**

**T**he feeling of uneasiness began to bubble at the pit of his stomach and Naruto unconsciously put a hand on his lower abdomen to will away the unpleasant feeling. Just like yesterday, he was nervous at the concept of meeting Sasuke's parents and waiting a day didn't quite quell his fear of rejection. He must have had a troubled look on his face because he felt Sasuke gently squeeze his hand in a comforting way and looked up at his friend.

"Don't worry, Naruto. Like I said, mama's gonna love you." Sasuke said without looking back. They continued towards the Uchiha compound hand-in-hand in comfortable silence and Naruto smiled.

Sasuke always knew the right things to say to make him feel better.

**~0~**

**C**ute was the first thought that entered Uchiha, Mikoto's mind as her son stepped into the home with his friend. She had given into her female urges and quickly gave the blond a hug, not noticing his blush as she did. She grew excited in the past couple of days when Sasuke came home with a smile brighter than usual one day. He had made his first friend and gushed to her about the blond, describing him in appearance and personality, as well as his living situation. The poor boy must have been so lonely and in that brief intimate moment of her embrace, Mikoto made up her mind to treat Naruto like one of her own. She was going to show this boy how it felt like to have a mother and encase him in a warm mother's love.

"Mama, this is Naruto! Naruto, this is my mom. Say hello!" Her son said enthusiastically as they parted, pleased that his mother had taken a [great] liking to his friend, not that he was surprised. Naruto's cheeks were still flushed pink and bowed when he finally had a chance to, muttering a "Pardon the intrusion" before her. She watched as he lowered his head to just above the waistline and nodded in approval. Despite being raised with no parents, Naruto had a great concept of etiquette and respect.

She smiled and ushered the children back out of the home before they got chance to take off their shoes.

"All right you two, play outside while I get lunch ready." She said, shooing the children outside. As they ran back out the door, Naruto bumped into Itachi and bowed, mumbling his apology before chasing after Sasuke.

"Sas'ke, wait! Don't leave me behind!" Itachi smiled before taking off his shoes in the _genkan_ and stepping out of the entryway into the house. He raised his head as he caught the scent of frying oil filling the house and he made his way into the kitchen to see his mother at work.

"Mother, is there anything I can help you with?" He asked. She turned around smiling gently and ushered him over, handing him a large bowl of vegetables doused in salt water.

"Itachi-kun, can you dry these vegetables for me? I'm going to make some _takanuzuke_ for Naruto-chan. According to Sasuke, that boy just loves pickled vegetables. Is there anything you want me to make while you're helping me?" Itachi shook his head in a negative, stating that he had a mission to go soon. "All right then, but you know I'm glad I was finally able to meet the infamous Naruto-chan; Sasuke-kun just wouldn't stop talking about him. He just lights up the room with that bright smile of his, that boy."

Itachi emptied the vegetable bowl of the unneeded water before shaking the vegetables to get rid of the excess moisture. He expertly chopped the vegetables into thin shreds and placed them into an empty bowl before reaching for the soy sauce and vinegar. "You're right mother." He said and Mikoto turned to him questioningly.

"Naruto is a precious child."

**~0~**

**H**indered by the numerous road blocks he seemed to be getting, Uchiha, Fugaku gave a deep sigh and sat down at his desk. He had been on a long and tiring case tracking down the corruption that dwelled the village's council and government and honestly felt that he was on a wild goose chase. Every time the department believed that they would get a lead, it just led them to a dead end with too many people as possible for what was clearly a crime organized by a tight circle of small elites. Many more of his men were getting hurt on this case and were backing down after the threats they have been receiving, but because they were unwilling to talk, he couldn't pinpoint exactly _who _was behind the threats. Money laundering, blackmail, selling illegal weaponry, and treason were just a few of the long list of things that needed to be stopped.

He dropped the file he had been reading and pinched the bridge of his nose, attempting to will away the headache that was starting to develop. He got up from behind the desk, deciding that it was time for a break, and paced around his study to stretch out his joints and cool off his head.

"Sas'ke, that's not fair! You're too good at this!" A voice came from outside, startling the man out of his thoughts. He walked to the window and looked outside to see his son and a blond child in the yard at their makeshift shuriken field, each with a couple of shuriken packs attached to the side of their legs.

"It's because you're letting go too early, Naruto! I keep telling you to let go later, but you won't listen to me." The man raised a brow. 'Naruto?' As if on cue, the blond child turned around and all of Fugaku's thoughts on capturing the councilmen disappeared as he got a good look at his son's playmate.

'Minato-san's son...' And immediately many memories began to rush through his mind and he sat down, trying to bring order to his mind once again. As he regained himself, he looked out the window to see Sasuke mentor the child in shuriken throwing before letting the blond try again, extremely satisfied when much improvement was made this time around.

"See, I told you that you can do it, Naruto." The blond merely smiled in response before releasing a second and then a third shuriken, each throw better than the last.

Fugaku mustered a smile on his face before turning back to his desk, picking up the file he had dropped on his desk, energy restored. He needed to solve this case as soon as possible, for the sake of his family and for Naruto. He briefly stopped for a moment to look at a picture with his wife, himself, and another couple smiling at the camera.

"Minato, you should be proud. Your son looks exactly like you and will probably achieve the greatness you wished upon him."

**~0~**

**I**twould be an understatement to say that Mikoto overdid herself; she did that and more and Naruto was gulping the excess saliva that started to pool in his mouth. Sasuke, Naruto, and Mikoto were gathered at the dining table before an amazing lunch, with Itachi gone on a team mission and Fugaku in his study, working away as always. The blond continued ogling the food before suddenly remembering to say his thanks.

"Wow, Uchiha _bachan_ this is amazing! All my favorite foods are here!" Mikoto smiled before nudging Sasuke gently.

"The _tamago_ and octodogs were made by Sasuke; he just wouldn't stop saying how I needed to make all your favorite foods and he helped me a lot in the kitchen, telling me exactly how you like your food. He added just a little bit of sugar to the eggs, because he told me you don't like the _tamago _that sweet."

"Mama, I told you not to tell him!" Sasuke claimed, flustered at the fact that his secret had been revealed. Since he had been able to walk, he had tried his best to help around the house. He had especially taken an interest in cooking and became even more enthusiastic in the kitchen once his mother started making bentos for both him and Naruto.

Mikoto gave her son a sly look. "Sasuke-kun, there's nothing wrong with letting your friend know that you cooked some of the food."

Before Sasuke was able to retort, a quiet voice interrupted the two Uchiha.

"Sas'ke, you made this...?" The said boy colored even more and looked at his bowl of rice, finding it suddenly interesting.

"Y-yeah." He looked up to see Naruto brighten up with a grin, before it turned mischievous.

"Is that why you always ask about how it tastes?" He got his answer when Sasuke spluttered and looked back down at his bowl of rice, feeling as if he would die of embarrassment. This is not how he thought lunch with Naruto would go at all.

"Haha, don't worry-_ttebayo_! It was delicious!" Mikoto was startled at Naruto's catchphrase, her eyes misting over as she suddenly recalled a memory.

"Kushina-chan..." she whispered unconsciously.

"Mama?" "Uchiha _bachan_?" The young boys questioned, drawing the mother out of her thoughts. She quickly wiped away the tears that gathered in her eyes in the brief moment of nostalgia and gathered a smile on her face.

"I'm all right, I was just happy to see Sasuke have fun with a friend in the house." She lied and saw the boys drop it, although her youngest continued to gaze her questioningly and she inwardly cursed the Uchiha genes. Her two sons were getting too smart for their own good.

"Enough with the talking and let's eat before the food gets cold! I'll go and give your father his meal in the study, so eat up!" she hastily said, changing the topic.

"_Itadakimasu_!" Came the unanimous reply.

**~0~**

**B**eing energetic after their lunch, the boys had energy to burn and decided to explore the expansive Uchiha library, more because of Mikoto's urgings to read and 'get their brain's working' before going to play outside again. They had been shooed away as she told them to read together in the library. Naruto was excited as he approached the doors to the library and held his breath as Sasuke pushed the doors open before he was once again filled with awe.

"Sas'ke, it's so cool! Just like the library in the middle of the village!" Sasuke blushed, saying it was nothing, but inside he was proud to impress his friend like this. He grabbed the blond's arm and dragged him to the children's section, which was relatively small compared to the rest of the library, but it was enough for the two. He quickly sat Naruto down in a plush chair by the window and searched for a book that he had wanted to read for a long time, but only with Naruto. He spotted the orange and white book from a shelf that was too high for him to reach and stared at it for a few moments, thinking about what he should do.

"Sas'ke?" Came a questioning voice. He turned around and motioned Naruto to come before pointing to the book that was out of his reach.

"I want to read that book, but it's too high. Do you think I should climb to get it?" He asked. Naruto shook his head vigorously, his eyes pleading.

"No Sas'ke, you'll get hurt. I don't want you to get hurt." He grasped the Uchiha's hands and begged with his eyes. It would hurt his heart if his best friend were to get hurt over a book. "Sas'ke, let's just get another book. We can read that one when Itachi comes back." At this Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"We don't need big brother to read it, we can read it now. Don't worry, I won't get hurt." He scowled, suddenly feeling irate. He wanted to spend as much time with Naruto as possible without Itachi being there. He didn't like it yesterday when his friend started depending on Itachi so much during the calligraphy lessons; it made him feel unwanted. He began to climb up the bookshelf much to the blond's protests and began to reach for the book that was still out of arm's length before he was suddenly picked up by his arm pits and put back down on the floor.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?" Uchiha, Fugaku demanded of his son, hiding the panic attack he was having inside. He had come into the library to get some reading documents to further his knowledge on the investigation he was working on when he saw his youngest son climbing the bookshelves that were swinging with the extra weight and instinctually ran to prevent any harm from happening.

Sasuke looked at his feet, unable to meet his father in the eye; Pride meant everything to an Uchiha. How could he embarrass his father like that and in front of Naruto no less? He felt a warm hand encase his own and heard Naruto speak before he could look at the blond.

"Sorry, it was my fault. Sas'ke wanted to read the book to me even though I told him not to do it 'cause he'd get hurt. Don't be mad, I'll leave if you want." Sasuke startled at this, firmly gripping Naruto's hands and making eye contact with his father, who merely raised a brow.

"Father, forgive me. It was my fault, not Naruto's. Don't make him leave for what I did." Sasuke winced as Fugaku brought his hand down on his head, only to be surprised as his father mussed his locks.

"It's all right, but don't do it again. Just ask for some help; like Naruto here, I don't want you to get hurt." He then turned to Naruto who bowed to him in greeting and rustled his hair as well.

"You're a great friend, Uzumaki-kun. Just do your best and you'll do great things; treasure your bond with Sasuke." He turned back to his son. "You too, treasure your bond with Naruto. Bonds are very important in a shinobi's life." And with those last words, he turned out of the library, reading material in hand and shut the door off to his study.

Naruto's hands were on his head, feeling a slight, warm tingling sensation where the contact was made and his eyes wandered to the door Fugaku just left through, pondering if a father's hand always felt warm before tugging on Sasuke's shirt, motioning him back to the window seat.

"C'mon, let's get to reading before we get scolded by your mama too." Sasuke hastily nodded and followed his friend, plopping down next to him and opening the book in hand. "Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats."

"Sas'ke?"

"Hm?"

"What's snow?"

"Just wait Naruto. You'll see when I start reading."

"Oh, okay."

And the night quickly arrived as Sasuke read continuously to his friend, both content with each other's company.

**~0~**

"**I**t doesn't snow in Konoha?" Naruto questioned, raising his arms as Mikoto pulled his pajama shirt over his head. She giggled, tapping Naruto on the nose before giving Naruto a pair of pajama pants to change into.

"Not in Konoha but in the northern regions of the Fire Country there are whole villages covered in snow." Naruto finished changing and laid down in his futon before the mother tucked him in and gave him a kiss on the forehead, beckoning the young boy good night. Sasuke was changing besides her and was instantly chided to wash up, as he still had yet to do so.

"Sas'ke, can we go see the snow fall when we become shinobi?" Naruto asked sleepily, his words slightly muffled by the futon he was in. Sasuke stopped at the door and Mikoto left the room with a smile to let the boys talk amongst themselves.

"Of course we can; let's go traveling everywhere and have adventures just like in the books." Naruto smiled, satisfied with the answer and waved Sasuke goodnight before turning in his futon, facing Sasuke's empty one as the Uchiha left to head to the bathroom to wash.

Sasuke turned off the lights of the bathroom and headed back to his room where Naruto was probably dead asleep only to see light filtering from his father's study.

"Itachi, there has been a lot of corruption and criminal activity amongst the councilmen in the Konoha circle." Fugaku's voice sounded from behind the slightly opened door. "I have been investigating with several elites from the police corporation but we cannot find the solid evidence we need to stop the corruption and take down those in charge of the black market. You are currently preparing for your ANBU exams, are you not?"

"Yes, father." Itachi's solemn voice came through. Sasuke pressed himself closer to the wall to hear the conversation; it wouldn't hurt to hear about a mission. Maybe he and Naruto could help too! But he didn't know what co-correction…corruption? He didn't know what that word meant. He'd probably have to look up that word later in the dictionary.

"While you are preparing, I would like you to keep your ears open about any suspicious activity going on, all right? Konoha cannot deal with any more corruption in the government, especially since our economy seems to be going downhill."

"I will keep that in mind, father." As Itachi bowed and turned to head out, he heard his father clear his throat and face his father once again.

"Itachi, no matter what happens, protect this family and Naruto at all costs. Especially Sasuke and Naruto; they are precious children and the future of this village." An emotion flickered in Itachi's eyes too fast for Fugaku to catch before he bowed, bidding his father good night and headed out the door. Fugaku rubbed his temples and gave another sigh. It seemed like another all nighter tonight.

Outside, Sasuke heard Itachi's footsteps and quickly ran to the bedroom, settling in next to the lightly-snoring Naruto and closed his eyes.

The next morning, he remembered nothing that happened the night before.

**-**_**Chapter o2 ~ A Parent's Love -End**_**-**

**25.02.11**

**Chibi Chidori's Nonsense:**

So instead of trying to depict Uchiha, Fugaku as a man who just puts Itachi up on this pedestal, I tried to depict him as this caring, stern man…Which he seemed like for most times when he was teaching Sasuke some techniques when he was young. Mikoto is just the motherly type – she preferred Sasuke in the manga anyway. And Itachi (in the manga) was a kind boy before the council ordered him to do kill everyone.

Snowy Day by Ezra Keats is a great children's picture book. It's about a boy who has adventures with the first snowfall and it's so fun to read.

This chapter is relatively short and slow, but the next chapter should be a start to get a little more fast-paced.

**Please help Japan through their ordeal by donating whatever you can (even a dollar is fine!). All the links are posted on my profile page and on the websites there are countless of organizations, charities, and information to explain what you can do to help the nation that creates our sources of fanfiction. Thank you!**

_**Japanese Dictionary**_

_Genkan – Entryway. A place where it is the same ground level as outside and where people take off their shoes before entering the main home, which is slightly elevated. _

_Takanuzuke – pickled & seasoned vegetables_

_Tamago – Rolled eggs (Usually sweet, but can be a neutral taste. I like mine a bit salty)_

_Bachan – Means "Aunt" in Japanese while Baachan (double A) means "Grandma". You usually say this to a mother or middle-age woman._

_Itadakimasu – Thank you for the meal; Said before eating every meal._

_-ttebayo – In the show, it was Naruto's catch phrase. (You can sorta compare it to USA teen slang where they add 'yo' to the end of their sentences. What's up, yo?) More common in the Asian countries._

Thank you for reading and thank you for all those who review!


	4. o3 Konoha's Future

_Countless Stars: My Existence in Life_

Disclaimer: Naruto solely belongs to Kishimoto, Masashi-san. The only things I own are the concepts and ideas of this fanfiction story. I also do not own "Snowy Day" by Ezra Keats

Warning: Chapters (and even in the chapters) will be going back between 3rd person's point of view and Naruto's point of view (or other characters, as I see fit). Forgive me, for when Naruto's talking, it doesn't seem like he's a little kid, but I, for the life of me, can't write what I want to in kindergarten language. So at times, it'll seem childish and other times seem mature. I'm trying to find an equal balance, but hopefully it'll be okay until they mature enough for me to constantly write in a non-childish way. And thank you to **Riuolo **for beta-ing! I finally found a beta and I have a feeling we'll be working together in great companionship from here on out! Go check out her work, _Mustering Happiness_ on ; it's an amazing read!

Note: **There is a 1 year time jump from the last chapter to this chapter. **Sasuke and Naruto are now 6 and starting the academy. Itachi is 12 and an ANBU Captain (a year early, I know, but I had to for plot purposes). Also, for ninjutsu I will refer to them as "shinobi techniques" or techniques throughout their early years.

**~0~**

**Chapter o3 ~ Konoha's Future**

**~0~**

**C**hildren's screams filled the air as they made their way out into the court yard of the Konoha Academy for recess. Dark brown eyes looked out at the children playing and then zoned in on one blond child in particular, eyes softening. The man scratched the bridge of his nose as he chuckled, wondering if he had a personality disorder. A few weeks ago, he was staring at this child in pure hatred due to the mere fact that this boy harbored a demon inside him – something he had no control over and probably was not even aware of. He was ashamed at himself for being biased like the hateful villagers, who abused the child as much as possible. Who was he to cast judgment on this boy, who had never felt a parent's love? He probably didn't even know who his mother and father were, thinking that they had abandoned him. The feelings of being unwanted and loneliness were too much to bear for any human, let alone a child.

"Iruka." He startled and quickly turned around at the voice. He was shocked at the fact that he couldn't sense the man enter the room and berated himself for being too absorbed in his thoughts; never let your guard down. He observed the silver-haired man who hid his handsome face with a mask. Iruka always – unconsciously – spited the existence of the mask and, like everyone else, questioned why it was there; no one understood why. It's just another mystery that surrounded Hatake, Kakashi.

"Hatake-san, how may I help you?" Iruka greeted formally. Despite their similar age, Kakashi was of a higher rank and it was only proper to show his respect. He saw the man grin—or what seemed like a grin, as his only visible eye closed in an upside down crescent—before his smooth baritone voice filled the room again.

"Maa, Iruka-_yan_, no need for formalities; we're no strangers. I just came to observe the future generation of our village." One lone black eye looked at the academy teacher, taking in the bronzed skin, dark hair, and scar across his nose in appreciation. Maybe he would visit more often to get to know this man better; he was quite pleasing to the eye. Iruka looked back to the children outside, his gaze softening.

"These children mean everything to me. They represent the past, the present, and the future and it is my duty to protect and guide them down the right path. One of them will change this world." And as he uttered those last words, his gaze fell upon the same blond child once again. Kakashi followed his gaze and patted Iruka's shoulder, his hand lingering.

"Not one of them, Iruka. All of them." And with those words, the Jōnin left. Iruka sighed and sat behind his desk, gazing at the ceiling as he let Kakashi's words ring through him.

_All of them, eh?_

Iruka bitterly smiled and began to focus on the papers on his desk, deciding to be productive and grade them while the kids were on recess. _If only the villagers would appreciate this boy more. He's experienced much more than any of them have and he's still fighting through it, _he thought, remembering back to the first day of the academy. He was so stupid and ignorant a couple of weeks ago and regretted his behavior towards the child dearly. He vowed to protect the child as much as he could as long as he was still breathing.

**~0~**

**H**e was excited—no—ecstatic about the fact that he was starting his first day at school today. He waited in front of a street intersection and looked at the passing clouds, the grin never faltering on his face. He had been waiting for this day for as long as he had been waiting for a friend.

"Naruto!" The blond turned and saw Sasuke wave as he started jogging up to him and, if possible, his grin grew even wider, stretching from cheek to cheek.

"Sasuke, hurry up. We don't want to be late for our first day of school!" Naruto said urgently, grabbing Sasuke's hand and racing towards the direction of the school. It had been over a year since Sasuke and Naruto first met, and in that year the two had developed maturely (as much as a child can during his young years). Naruto had finally been able to pronounce Sasuke's name properly with great teaching from Itachi, although he still occasionally called Sasuke by his two-syllable nickname. He even started to read at the same level as Sasuke and learned the same techniques that were taught to Sasuke, although his chakra control was slightly unstable. They'd had their share of memories, but Naruto was excited to meet new friends and go on new adventures – together, with Sasuke.

"Aren't you happy, Sasuke? We get to meet new friends together!" Naruto all but yelled out in glee and Sasuke couldn't help but laugh at his friend's antics. To be honest, he wasn't exactly thrilled at Naruto making new friends. It would mean that his time with Naruto would only grow shorter, but if they were together he wouldn't mind. Going on adventures with a lot of people could be fun; it'd be like adding to the family.

"I'm glad that we're the same age or we'd be in different classes," Sasuke said, walking in an even pace next to Naruto. The other replied with a mere grin and continued walking forward.

"Would you be lonely without me, Sasuke?" He laughed. Sasuke looked at him, nodding in confirmation which took Naruto by surprise.

"You're my best friend, Naruto. Of course I would be lonely." He grabbed the blond's hand and squeezed it gently. Naruto squeezed back in reassurance and they approached the gates of the Konoha Academy. They followed the signs to their designated classroom and picked a seat towards the middle of the class, sitting down next to each other and waiting for the class to start. Naruto was looking around nervously, excited to meet and greet his newest teacher and friends while Sasuke had a passive look on his face, smiling only when he saw how excited Naruto was.

"Hi, what's your name? I'm Kiba and this is Akamaru," a feral looking boy said, popping out of nowhere and pointing at the pup atop his head, startling the two boys. Naruto grinned and held out a hand.

"I'm Naruto and this is my best friend, Sasuke." He pointed at the Uchiha, who felt happy that he was immediately introduced as the blond's _best _friend.

"Mind if I sit next to you guys?" he asked. Naruto shook his head, motioning to the empty seat beside him where Kiba plopped down and began to sneak some food to Akamaru. Immediately, another classmate popped up in front of them, this time a girl.

"Hi! You're Sasuke-kun, right? My name is Ino – Yamanaka, Ino. Let's be friends from now on," she squealed, making Akamaru and Kiba wince slightly, their ears a tad more sensitive than the other boys. Sasuke stared at her hand apathetically.

"Yamanaka-san, I'd like it if you called me by my last name. We're not friends," he said harshly. Naruto winced, waving at Ino to draw her attention.

"Sorry about Sasuke. He's usually nicer, but he might have an upset stomach. I'm Naruto, nice to meet you," he said, holding out his hand. Ino looked at the appendage with a sneer and walked away, muttering about stupid blonds and leaving a confused Naruto. Wasn't she a blonde, too?

"Alright class, settle down in your seats and get started for the new academic year. Who's excited to finally start school?" an enthusiastic brunet voiced out to the class as he stepped through the classroom doors. He was a chūnin by the looks of his vest and a scar running across his nose, but Naruto deemed him to be a friendly teacher and grew more excited by the minute. The class chattered in response, quieting down as the teacher tapped the chalkboard for their attention.

"Okay everyone, my name is Umino, Iruka and I will be your teacher for your time throughout the academy. I hope we'll have a great time and wish to get to know you all well. I'm going to roll-call now and would like you to stand up and state what you would like to do in the future, like your dreams," he said with a gentle smile. He brought up his clipboard, reading out the names alphabetically.

Naruto quietly listened to his classmates' names and dreams. Some wanted to become great shinobi and protect the village, others wanted to continue their family jobs, and one even wanted to become a patisserie for one of the great Lords instead of going down the shinobi path.

"Uchiha, Sasuke," Iruka's voice called out. Naruto heard the chair next to him slide as Sasuke stood up and the blond smiled at his friend. He already knew Sasuke's dreams by heart.

"My name is Uchiha, Sasuke – I am 6 years old," a calm voice rang throughout the room, a few squeals from girls echoing with his voice. "My dream is to become a shinobi my family can be proud of, protecting the ones important to me. I hope to soon work with my father in the Konoha Police Corporation." He sat back down as Iruka nodded at him and the teacher looked at the next name, eyes narrowing slightly. This boy was enrolled in the academy?

"Uzumaki, Naruto," the brunet's voice rang out, a little harsher than it had with the rest of the students. Naruto quickly stood up, eyes briefly meeting with Sasuke as the other gave him a nod of encouragement.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Uzumaki, Naruto, 6 years old. I wish to become friends with everyone in this classroom," he laughed before continuing, "My dream is to become the future hokage of this village, protecting and loving everyone," he stated proudly, before he heard a laugh at the side of the classroom. He looked to the source of the noise to see the blonde girl from earlier laugh with tears flowing from her eyes.

"That's a silly dream, don't you think? How can _you_ become the hokage, the strongest shinobi in the village?" Naruto's face immediately dropped and he quietly sat back down, Iruka hushing Ino glancing at Naruto before continuing roll call.

Naruto didn't think his dream was silly; he thought it was very reasonable and great. He felt Sasuke reach for his hand and squeeze. He turned to see his friend smile at him.

"Your dream is not silly, Naruto. Don't let anyone else say so," he said, his eyes firm. Naruto nodded, his mood picking up slightly. He felt a poke from his left side and turned to Kiba, who had remained quiet during the whole ordeal.

"I don't think your dream is silly either, Naruto. I think your dream is great," he said. Akamaru yipped in agreement before Kiba hurriedly hushed him, fearing that Iruka would find him. Naruto smiled and thanked Kiba before looking at the board as Iruka began to write down the supplies they would need for the year.

It was alright if they thought that his dream was silly, he'd just show them that they were wrong. That was Naruto's way of life.

**~0~**

**I**n his mind, Naruto was determined to prove them wrong, but in reality he was having a little trouble with school. Not academically, as Sasuke and Itachi helped him out as much as they needed to until he understood the concepts, but he was failing in the chakra department. Naruto had absolutely no chakra control, a problem he faced when Itachi was teaching him ninja techniques that were widely used by the Uchiha family. He didn't think it would come back to bite him in the butt like this.

During the first few days of school, their class time was divided by academic lessons and shinobi lessons. The latter consisted of lessons about the chakra system in the body, ninja techniques and how to maintain good chakra control, and the ultimate balance between the mind and body of a person. Naruto studied hard when it came to the chakra system and ninja techniques, excelling when it came to techniques that required a hefty amount of chakra. However, he seemed to utterly fail when it came to miniscule chakra controlling tasks, like walking on water or holding a _bunshin_ _– _an image of a clone made up of chakra. He quickly grew frustrated at the fact that he was unable to do simple chakra techniques and grew upset that Iruka was berating him constantly, falsely claiming that his lack of control was the result of not paying attention in class. Naruto was, if not equal, the most alert in the class, much more than Sasuke. He grew annoyed when his teacher failed to see that.

He felt that Iruka had a grudge against him, like many of the other villagers. He wished for once that he would not be judged for something he could not control, especially if it affected him academically.

Class had finished and he was waiting for Sasuke, as it was the Uchiha's turn to throw out the trash this week, and he felt tears rise quickly before brushing them away. Why was he awful at chakra control?

"Naruto, what's wrong?" He heard Sasuke's concerned voice and looked up to see the Uchiha standing there, the look on his face stating that he will search for and hurt whoever made his friend cry.

"Ah, it's nothing. I'm just mad at myself."

"Why?" At this, Naruto shuffled his feet, rubbing the sole of his shoe into the dirt.

"I'm mad that I can't control my chakra well. How do I show everyone that my dreams aren't silly if I can't even walk on water?" he said, clenching his fists. He felt Sasuke's arm wrap around his shoulder and was pulled into a walk towards the direction of the Uchiha's home.

"Don't be mad. Nobody is good at everything, Naruto. C'mon, we'll practice with big brother until you can get it right," Sasuke said reassuringly and Naruto smiled, glad that in times like this he has his best friend to rely on.

Not one person in this world could replace Sasuke.

**~0~**

**D**ust flew from the erasers as Iruka tapped them together, the task oddly comforting, before he finished and headed back inside to the classroom. He sat behind his desk, grading the papers for the week. The children were assigned to label all the major chakra points and he had a lot of papers to go through, before his eyes landed on a particular assignment.

Uzumaki, Naruto.

The name just brought up unpleasant memories and he shut his eyes in an attempt to block his mother's screams that continued to echo in his mind. He viciously looked through the paper, hoping to find a mistake and lower the blond's grade as much as possible, but like always the blond's grades were flawless. Contrary to popular belief, the blond was an excellent student. He only failed in the chakra-manipulation category, but Iruka could see the blond was trying his best.

The brunet quickly shook his head, as if to get rid of the thoughts in his brain, and went back to grading his paper; he would not show mercy to the blond. He harbored a demon that killed his parents. He deserved to suffer as much as possible for what had happened.

**~0~**

**O**range was a color Naruto would constantly wear, making it easy for Iruka to spot him as the children were playing in the school yard during recess. It seemed like a daily task for Iruka, always looking for the blond at the same time to try and catch him in the act of doing something mischievous. Unfortunately, he'd always catch Kiba pulling a prank instead of the blond.

Today was different, however.

Naruto was sitting on a tree sing crying with Sasuke beside him, stroking his back in a comforting gesture. They were talking and Iruka strained his senses to hear the conversation.

"It's not fair, Sasuke. I'm not an idiot!" He heard the blond cry out, who was hushed by the other.

"I know you're not, Naruto." But Naruto continued shaking his head, crying out all his frustrations.

"I don't know why I can't control my chakra well. I don't know why I don't have any parents. It's not my fault, but why do they hate me for things I can't control, things I don't know about?" Sasuke didn't answer and embraced the blond in a hug, telling the blond to cry it all out. He was extremely angry at the other kids for reducing the usually happy blond to this state. Didn't they see how special Naruto was? He was such a kind boy.

Iruka watched the scene for a few more minutes before breaking out of his trance and looking away, feeling extremely ashamed of himself for acting the way he had in the past few days. The blond was just like him, an orphan. It wasn't the blond's fault that the Kyuubi wreaked havoc upon the village. They were two separate entities at the time.

He was just as lonely as Iruka was when he was a child. They were suffering the same pains.

He glanced at the window and found the two children to be gone. He then heard the bell ring, signaling that recess was over and sighed. He would start again with Naruto. He would start right.

Or so he thought.

He heard the yells and screams of children, rowdier than usual, and left his class to follow the source of the noise only to see a large crowd of children. He could hear one unanimous, continuous jeer.

"Fight, fight, _fight!_"

Immediately, Iruka ran towards the center, surprised to see an enraged Sasuke on top of another child, beating the poor boy's face. Iruka immediately ran to the two children, noting that Naruto was watching from the side, bleeding from a cut on the head while silently crying, and lifted Sasuke off the other child with much effort.

"I didn't do anything!" The beaten boy, Naoto if Iruka remembered correctly, said. "My mom said to throw rocks at Naruto and when I did, Sasuke just hit me! It's all that stupid Naruto's fault!"

Everything seemed to click and the teacher sighed to himself, in great disbelief that a mother would tell her son to throw rocks at the child, despite her hatred. Iruka smiled bitterly—he was not much different from her a few minutes ago—and began to reprimand the bruised child.

"You must not throw rocks at anything no matter what your mother says. Would you like it if someone threw rocks at you for no reason?" The boy shook his head. "Go to the infirmary and get your wounds checked, I'm going to call your mother." He turned to Sasuke, who was now comforting and embracing a crying Naruto, wiping the blood off the blond's forehead with a handkerchief.

"Uchiha-kun," Iruka said sternly and he saw the boy stiffen, turning to him before moving himself before Naruto in a protective manner. The teacher chuckled, ruffling his hair. "I won't tell your mother about this, but don't fight again, alright? You know better." He turned away, shooing the crowd of children, telling them to go to their respective classes.

Sasuke seemed to hold his gaze where Iruka once stood before tending back to Naruto. "C'mon, let's go to the nurse and get your cut bandaged, okay Naruto?" The blond nodded, before stopping Sasuke.

"Y-you're not hurt, Sas'ke?" The blond hiccupped and the Uchiha smiled as his nickname left the lips of his friend.

"No, I'm not. Don't worry about me and worry about yourself, alright?" he said, pulling Naruto up from the ground. He saw the blond nod again and guided the crying boy to the infirmary, never once letting go of his hand during their walk.

**~0~**

**R**ain began to fall as the boys arrived at the Uchiha compound, Mikoto waiting at the entrance with towels in her hands in case the boys got caught in the sudden downpour.

"How was your day, boys?" she asked as she handed them a towel. Naruto had been frequenting the house and sleeping over more often, as the orphanage grew crowded, not that Mikoto minded. She welcomed the blond with open arms.

"It was great, bachan! I finally managed to do as well as everyone else when Iruka-sensei taught us a new chakra-control technique. He even congratulated me on it!" the blond exclaimed enthusiastically and Mikoto smiled. It was the first time Naruto came home from the academy with a smile and she was glad that things were finally going well for him. She saw Sasuke nod to the side and turned to him.

"What about you, Sasuke-kun? Anything new?" Sasuke looked miffed and turned to the side, hands in his pockets and being oddly quiet. Naruto looked at his shoes nervously before embracing the young mother. It was then she noticed the small bandage on the blond's forehead, which was discreetly covered by his hair. Immediately, she began to put two and two together.

"Bachan, don't be angry at Sasuke. He was only protecting me!" Mikoto regained her balance as she shifted her weight to support Naruto before turning to her son.

"Sasuke-kun, what is Naruto talking about?" she said, her voice slightly demanding. The boy hesitated before meeting her eyes, his gaze fierce.

"I beat up some kid because he made Naruto cry. It was his fault, mama! He called Naruto names that weren't very nice and he even threw a rock at him!" he said defending himself, standing his ground. Mikoto was torn, wanting to congratulate her son for beating up the boy but upset at the fact that he resorted to violence; her son was usually such a kind and gentle boy. However, she couldn't blame him for giving in to the urge to beat up the bully. If it were her in Sasuke's shoes, she'd probably resort to violence as well.

Mikoto kneeled down before her son, who continued to look at her with firm eyes, although they began to water. "Sasuke-kun, although I'm proud of you for protecting Naruto-chan, you shouldn't resort to violence unless you absolutely need to. Pain only brings pain, understand?" Her son nodded and she brought him into a hug, pulling in Naruto as well.

"My boys, you need to be strong." She lingered in her embrace and giving them both a kiss on their foreheads before letting them go to Sasuke's room and heading to the kitchen to bring Fugaku some refreshments. Worry flashed through her eyes as the strain of reality began to bear upon her. In the year that had flown by, she tried her best to distract Sasuke and Naruto from the tensions growing within the Uchiha compound. Itachi had recently been promoted to ANBU captain and had been going on continuous missions, returning exhausted mentally and physically. Besides his work, he also had to bear the burden of helping Fugaku with his investigations about the corruption within the council and all of this work was straining their relationship and affecting the family. And now, with the sudden bullying of Naruto that seemed to be escalating into violence, she couldn't help but be stressed out.

She caught her balance as her husband stepped out of his study, nearly crashing into her. He hurriedly helped her regain herself.

"Ah, thank you, Mikoto," he said as he took the tray from her and brought it back inside his study, his wife following him inside. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath to calm his nerves. He then felt his wife wrap her arms around his waist.

"You know, Sasuke-kun got into a fight today," she said calmly, Fugaku feeling her words through the fabric of his shirt. Immediately, Mikoto could feel his muscles tense and she gripped tighter to prevent the man from turning around.

"Why?"

She smiled against his back. "A boy bullied Naruto and even threw a rock at him, so Sasuke-kun got angry on his behalf. Although I'm upset that Sasuke resorted to violence, I can't stop myself from thinking that Sasuke did a job well done." Fugaku chuckled and Mikoto could feel his muscles relax. She deemed it safe to lax her grip around her husband's midsection.

"A man who abandons his friends is worse than a bully," he agreed. "Sasuke did a good job."

The two stood in silence before Mikoto heard her husband sigh. "That Itachi…I don't know what he's thinking."

"Dear, don't stress yourself out too much over it." Gently, he placed his hand above hers and she continued. "He's going through everything so young. I know our family is important, but please. Don't strain your relationship any further."

Fugaku sighed and thought back to the argument he had with Itachi the other night. It was the first time his eldest had ever raised his voice against him, displeased at the fact that Fugaku continued to pester him about his investigation when he had his own missions to worry about and, for the first time, Fugaku realized how young Itachi truly was; too young to experience the tragedies he had witnessed as a child and as an ANBU captain. His heart pained at the knowledge that Itachi's sacrifices would only increase as the he grew older.

"I know, Mikoto. I know," he whispered, more to himself than to her.

**~0~**

**I**t was a week later that Kakashi returned at the same time to the same room, seeing Iruka in the same spot looking out the same window. He smiled to himself and approached the brunet once again.

"Can I help you?" He heard the other man say, like he did one week ago. Kakashi followed his gaze out the window, his eyes landing on Uzumaki, Naruto who was playing with Uchiha, Sasuke and the only son of the Inuzuki clan, a mutt following the brunet's every movement.

"Like I said, Iruka, I came to observe the future of this village and to become better acquainted with their teacher," he said, a hint of playfulness underlying his words. The recess bell rang and the students began to filter into the room. As Kakashi made to leave, he bumped into Naruto, Sasuke directly behind him.

"Maa, I'm sorry about that. I should really look where I'm going," he said, holding Naruto upright as he attempted to regain his balance. The blond shook his head, smiling up at the Jōnin.

"No, it was my fault; I really wasn't looking where I was going either." The blond made his way into the classroom as the Uchiha behind him pushed him lightly, whispering that they were going to be scolded. Kakashi moved aside to give them better access to the classroom.

"See you later, Iruka-sensei," Kakashi said with a wave before teleporting out of the class, a cloud of grey smoke in the place where he just stood.

Iruka sighed and gave the class a few minutes to settle down from their recess hype, his eye wandering back to the blond. _I must definitely protect Konoha's future, _he thought and began to call out the children's names for the usual after-recess roll-call. He smiled midway into the list as he remembered the dream that the boy announced to the class, standing tall and proud.

"Uzumaki, Naruto?" He called out.

"Here!"

_Good luck, Naruto. I believe in you. _

**-**_**Chapter o3 ~ Konoha's Future -End**_**-**

**26.02.2011**

**Chibi Chidori's Nonsense:**

Another chapter out! (This one written in only one day after I finished the last chapter. That's an amazing feat for me, hahaha). Starting the next chapter, it's finally going to start picking up the pace (plot-wise) so I'm really excited about that, although it'll still be a few chapters to reach the time where Naruto was stuck in the shark, like in the prologue.

So for this chapter, I kind of went into Iruka's psyche and briefly delved into his changing opinion of Naruto. It started with him remembering the first day of school, a brief dive into the past of Naruto and Sasuke's first few days at school, and back to Iruka in the present (of the past, as this is all a flashback which leads up to the present for shark-trapped Naruto). Hopefully this didn't confuse any of you guys. [smile] As for the boy, Naoto… He's not going to be a recurring original character or an important character. If you remember from the prologue chapter, he was the boy that was playing in the playground when Naruto approached him and was taken away by his mother. I didn't want one of the rookie-9 as Naruto's bully, so I just brought him back to start some quarrel with Sasuke but he won't make another appearance for the rest of the fiction, so no worries OC-haters!

So, thank you for reading and thank you to all those who review!

_**Japanese Dictionary:**_

_-Yan (attachment, like Iruka-yan)_ – It is a term of endearment that a lot of Asian countries use, like "chan" but in a more playful way. (Flirty, in Kakashi's case.)

**Reviewer Replies:  
Tsuna: **Thank you for reviewing! :) Reading your review made me truly happy! As for what happens next, I can only say read more to find out! I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as the previous ones, and thank you again for your review! :)

Thank you for the read, and I appreciate all those who review! They always make my day better.


	5. o4 Family

_Countless Stars: My Existence in Life_

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto, Masashi-san (although a certain Uchiha may disagree and claim the blond for himself). The only things I own are the concepts and ideas of this story.

Warning: May be triggering for character death, angst, and mentions of violence.

Note: There is a point of view change at some point in the story, for those who don't catch it. And thank you **Riuolo **for beta-ing my chapter! She's really awesome

**~0~**

**Chapter o4 ~ Family**

**~0~**

**C**himes rang in the air as the sun slowly started to rise above the horizon. Blue eyes opened wearily and looked at the clock on the night stand beside him. He moaned, covering his head with a pillow as the noise of screaming children reached his ears. He had not been able to have a decent night of sleep at the orphanage since a new group of orphans were brought into the home. The blond sat up from his bed. He wanted to be well rested for the first day of his third year at the academy, but he guessed it was just too much to ask. He made his way into the bathroom—narrowly avoiding a collision with the younger residents as they ran through the hallways early in the morning—and washed himself, splashing his face with cold water to wake up him up.

"Naruto, hurry up or all of the breakfast will be gone!" He heard the caretaker of the orphanage yell through the hallway as he dried himself with a towel.

"Okay, granny, I'll be right there!" he replied, hastily dressing himself in the bathroom before carelessly tossing his pajamas into his room as he made his way into the kitchen. The place was swarming with children and his appetite was gone. He reluctantly grabbed a toast and slathered it with a light layer of butter and strawberry jam before making his way out the door. The caretaker greeted him at the door with a smile and a paper bag for his lunch.

"Happy birthday, Naruto," she said kindly before handing him his lunch.

Naruto smiled and grabbed the bag. "Thanks and see you later, granny! Don't set a plate for me at dinner; I'll be sleeping over at Sasuke's!" he said as he made his way out the door before walking to his usual meeting place with the Uchiha, munching on the toast. Sasuke would say something if he didn't eat breakfast, so he always ate whether he was hungry or not.

The blond felt himself smile as he began to think about his relationship with the young Uchiha. It had been two years since they started the academy and Naruto's eighth birthday was today, coincidentally. Sasuke had made such a huge fuss about his birthday in the passing week that Naruto constantly blushed whenever his friend brought it up. Since their first meeting three years ago, the Uchiha made it his business to invite Naruto to his birthday and then have a bigger birthday bash for the blond, because the orphan had never experienced a true birthday before. Birthday celebrations at the orphanage consisted of a pat on the head from the caretaker and rocks as presents from the rest of the orphans. Needless to say, he hadn't had a pleasant memory of his birthdays until he met Sasuke.

Sasuke, his _best _friend.

"Naruto, stop zoning out or you're going to walk into something!" The said boy looked up just in time to narrowly avoid a telephone and frowned before turning to the source of the voice. He met dark eyes and a smirk and pouted as he approached his friend.

"You know, Sasuke, you could've warned me earlier. What if I didn't turn in time and got seriously hurt?" he nagged. Sasuke laughed and ruffled Naruto's hair before walking in pace besides the blond.

"I didn't think you were daydreaming until you were nearly face-to-face with the pole. Pay attention next time or you'll really get hurt!" he chided and the blond blushed before grinning happily.

"Even if I didn't, I always have you to count on, don't I, Sasuke?" He smiled at the said boy, who returned it with a smile of his own.

"Yeah, you can count on it, Naruto. Now hurry up and let's go before we're late."

"No! Sasuke, we can't be late on the first day or Iruka-sensei is going to kill me!" the blond said, quickening his pace to a run. "C'mon slowpoke, I'll race ya!" Sasuke laughed and ran after Naruto, determined to catch up.

"You're on."

**~0~**

**H**eaving the garbage bin over the dump, Naruto became mesmerized by the freefall of the rubbish. Blue eyes followed the last of the falling trash before he sighed. He placed the bin back to its place before heading back to the class to pick up his belongings.

Lately, he had been feeling strange towards Sasuke.

Every time the Uchiha smiled, his heart would start racing and his face would feel hot. Naruto lightly smacked his cheeks as he felt his face heat again and shook his head; what was wrong with him? The blond pondered if he was coming down with a cold, but shook the thought off. It only happened when he thought about how pretty Sasuke looked when he smiled. Not that he'd ever tell his friend that. Sasuke never enjoyed being called pretty and would always give the cold shoulder to anyone who did, including his own mother.

The thought of his friend ignoring him caused his heart to clench painfully; he'd never want that situation to arise ever, no matter what the circumstances may be.

"Oi, Naruto! Why are you walking so slow? I've been waiting forever!" The said boy looked up and saw Sasuke waiting by the classroom door, both his and Naruto's things in hand. "Hurry up or we're going to miss mom's mini doughnuts!" The blond received his backpack from his friend and the two began to walk to the Uchiha compound.

"You know Sasuke, you could've helped me with my chores. We would've gotten home faster," Naruto said, giving his friend a pout. Sasuke grinned before grabbing the blond's hand and quickening their pace.

"And throw out the smelly garbage? No thanks," he said playfully. Naruto shoved him lightly with his free hand and Sasuke let out a laugh. But in the back of his mind, the Uchiha took note to help out his friend next time.

That _is _what friends are for, right?

"So, what'd you get me for my birthday, Sasuke?" a curious voice asked, bringing Sasuke out of his thoughts. Dark eyes met blue and the Uchiha pretended to think about the question before turning back to Naruto.

"Sorry, I can't tell you or it'll spoil the surprise."

Naruto frowned before sticking out his tongue, obviously displeased at the fact that his curiosity was not sated. "Stingy," he whispered before throwing another face at the boy. Sasuke merely shrugged; he wasn't going to fall for the blond's tricks again, especially since he didn't want to spoil this surprise.

He was sure Naruto was going to love it.

Sasuke's pace quickened as the gates of the Uchiha compound came into view and he tugged on his friend's arm gently. "Naruto, we're almost there! Come on!" Naruto merely laughed at his friend; the dark-haired boy seemed to be more excited about the blond's birthday than himself.

The two made it past the gates and rushed into Sasuke's house.

"_Tadaima!_" "_Shitsureshimasu. _Excuse me for the intrusion!" exclaimed both boys simultaneously. They hastily took off their shoes and slid into their slippers before beginning the trek to the kitchen.

"Sasuke-kun, I hope you're putting your shoes in the _getabako_ where they belong!" Mikoto's scolding voice came from the kitchen. The two boys looked at each other sheepishly and made their way back. They carefully arranged their shoes, placing the articles inside the wooden cabinet. They made their way into the kitchen where Mikoto had prepared a snack consisting of different flavoured _mochi _and _sencha. _Naruto sat down and grabbed a pink-colored rice cake and munched on it happily, taking sips of the green tea in between. Sasuke opted for a green-colored _mochi_ and chewed on it slightly, savouring every bite.

"Happy birthday, Naruto-chan," Mikoto said warmly. She gave Naruto a hug from behind and a kiss on the cheek before going around to her son and giving him a smooch, as well. "_Okaeri-nasai,_" she said to Sasuke before turning back to Naruto. "We're going out to eat today, so what do you feel like eating?" she asked. She looked at the blond who seemed to be giving her question a thought before she remembered something.

"Oh, but no ramen," she added hastily, laughing at the obvious pout the blond made. Ever since Itachi had introduced the blond to the infamous _Ichiraku _ramen bar, the little boy had been craving it daily. Unfortunately, it worried Mikoto as it was all the child would ask for. It made her heart ache to say no to Naruto, but health always came first and by no means was ramen a great source of nutrition. Sasuke laughed at his friend's displeasure before attempting to regain his balance as Naruto kicked his chair.

"Stop laughing, it's not funny," the blond muttered, crossing his arms in a huff. The young Uchiha continued to laugh and Naruto couldn't help but join in. He reached for another _mochi _and chewed on it thoughtfully as Mikoto repeated the question.

"Can we go have some _yakiniku_,then?" Naruto asked. Mikoto hummed in thought for a moment, unconsciously kneading out some knots in Sasuke's shoulders before nodding in agreement.

"Sure, barbeque sounds fine. _Otousan_ seemed to have been craving some meat lately, as well," she laughed out before lowering herself to the boys' eye level. "Sasuke-kun, is that all right with you?" Her son nodded and she smiled, making her way to the sink.

"You boys can go play now, but make sure to come downstairs by 18:00 so we can get to dinner on time!" The boys nodded as they made their way out the kitchen. Sasuke stopped suddenly at the doorway and Naruto looked back, his gaze curious.

"Go on to my room first," Sasuke said, motioning for the blond to go ahead. Naruto just gave a shrug and made his way into the familiar room and, once he was out of earshot, the Uchiha turned back to his mother.

"Mama, can I give Naruto his present now? So he can practice with it before dinner?" Mikoto looked at her son, cringing as she saw Sasuke's pleading eyes. It was rare for Sasuke to plead, but he had been giving her these begging eyes more often, especially when it was concerning Naruto. And damn it, she was just weak to those eyes! She gave a sigh.

"All right, Sasuke. But be careful! I don't want you two to get hurt before dinner," she warned. A smile appeared on her lips as she saw her son's face light up before it disappeared out of view and she gave another sigh.

"Boys will be boys," she whispered to herself, a serene look settling on her features.

**~I~**

"**W**hat is it, Sasuke?" Naruto asked impatiently. He had been sitting around in Sasuke's room as the said boy shuffled through his closet in search of Naruto's present.

"Oh just wait, Naruto! You're going to love it," Sasuke said excitedly. He had planned a few months ahead of what to get his friend and saved up money from his weekly allowance to buy it himself. He was proud of his gift as it was the first gift he bought without the aid of his family members. He spotted the present in the corner under all the gift-wrapping materials and couldn't help the grin that set on his face. With a huff, he pulled it from underneath the piled items and winced as the items landed on the floor with a loud _thud_. He quickly shut the closet door and turned around, gift behind him.

"So, what is it?" the blond asked again. His curiosity was eating away at him and he couldn't take it any longer. He was almost tempted to reach for the present that he knew Sasuke was hiding behind his back, but kept himself in check. Sasuke bit his lip to keep himself from laughing at Naruto; the blond wore such an agonized look on his face and the Uchiha reminded himself how impatient his friend could be.

"Happy birthday, Naruto," he whispered quietly, handing the blond his present. Naruto stilled for a moment as he eyed the wrapped box and smiled. He took it cautiously, as if it would shatter with the most sudden of movements and observed it quietly. It was clumsily wrapped in kunai adorned orange paper and his smile grew wider; Sasuke had wrapped it all by himself. The blond felt himself tear up as the thought touched his heart before hastily wiping his eyes. He didn't want to be made fun of as a cry baby right now. The Uchiha watched as the blond simply looked at the gift and swallowed nervously, nudging his friend.

"Hurry and open it." Naruto gave a nod and sat down, placing the present before him. Carefully, as to not rip the wrapping paper, he peeled off each piece of tape and began to unravel the gift. He held his breath as he recognized the polished box and opened it slowly, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. _No way_, he thought.

In the middle of the orange papers was an antique looking box, polished and adorned with _uchiwas_, the Uchiha clan's emblem. And lying in the box was a set of basic weapons for _shinobis_; it consisted of a full set of _kunai, shuriken_, and _tantō. _Naruto picked up the _tantō _with care and looked at Sasuke before looking back at the weapon. This short double-edged dagger was rarely used by genin, as it was a weapon used purely for close combat. Genin were still inexperienced and usually relied on their basic _shinobi_ skills, aside from the ones passed down in their clans. It was a weapon that was more popular with the elite _shinobi _of the village; the _ANBU_. He set the blade down before running carefully running his fingers across the set of _kunai _and _shuriken_, noting that they were of somewhat high quality and closed the box gently. Sasuke watched the blond's motions, unconsciously holding his breath and fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. The two remained in those positions for a moment, a calm silence blanketing the room before Naruto let out a breath.

"Thank you," he said warmly, looking up to meet his friend's gaze. Sasuke's breath caught once again as he was met with a smile that simply emitted pure joy and happiness and felt his heart flutter wildly. He blushed madly and looked down at his feet as his mind focused on only one thing; Naruto looked breath-taking. He smiled and sat down in front of his friend, happy that it was him who made the blond so happy. Naruto watched Sasuke sit down and took his hand, their gazes meeting once again.

"Thank you," he repeated and Sasuke's smile grew wider.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it."

The two sat in another moment of silence as their emotions caught up with them. They both looked away as their cheeks flushed and sat staring at the floor before hesitantly meeting each other's gazes.

"So, do you want to practice with it?" Sasuke asked quietly. He was afraid that if he spoke too loudly, their precious moment would shatter before his eyes. He let out a breath of relief as he saw the smile grow brighter on Naruto's face.

"I'd love to," the blond replied.

**~B~**

**D**ark eyes looked over items as the teen-aged boy moved about the busy market street. He stopped at a weapons shop before remembering that his little brother had purchased a weapon set for Naruto and continued on his hunt for a birthday gift. Itachi would not be satisfied with a mediocre gift.

It had to be amazing, something the blond would treasure forever.

He roamed the streets for a couple of minutes before his eyes caught sight of a humble thrift shop that seemed to be cramped between two large antique stores. He ignored the store owners from the neighboring stores as they attempted in vain to lure him in with their best sales voice. The light jingle of a bell was heard as Itachi made his way into the thrift store, his eyes searching the shelves immediately for anything useful. The store was neat and tidy inside; small, but it seemed to contain things of value despite its humble appearance.

"Can I help you, young man?" an elderly man asked as he made his way out from behind the counter. Itachi shook his head, looking around the store some more.

"I am just looking for a gift for a little boy who is precious to me. Forgive me for sounding rude, but I would like to search for this present myself." The man seemed to nod in understanding and made his way back to the register, giving Itachi his space. The teen looked around, his eyes observing all the details as he was met with authentic miniature wooden statues of the previous hokages. He continued his search and found many amusing things that he was sure Naruto would enjoy, but he moved on; the items he found just weren't what he was looking for. He passed by a shelf that held stuffed animals before a flash of green caught his eye and he stopped, turning back.

And then he saw it.

It was a small little thing, roughly the size of a person's palm. It was a green coin-wallet in the shape of a frog with bulging eyes and the mouth as the pouch. Itachi picked it up, weighing it in his hands. It was perfect and Naruto would love it. He knew from the moment that he saw it that this was the gift he would get. He held onto the purse before looking around the store to see if there was anything else he could buy in addition to frog pouch. Not seeing anything of interest, he made his way to the counter where the elderly man waited patiently and placed the frog on the glass. His eyes continued to roam as the man calculated the purchase before his eyes landed on a small keychain. The keychain was small and circular, roughly the size of a quarter. On the side he was looking at was a swirl mimicking the shape of a whirlpool. He unconsciously reached out for it, lifting the keychain and palming it. He then turned it around and his eyes widened by a fraction as saw the image on the other side.

It was a fox with nine tails and Itachi remembered when the village was attacked by the _Kyuubi _when he was six. However, contrary to his memory, the beast on this keychain didn't seem feral and instead held a calm and wise look on its face. It was sitting in a position that made it appear elegant and regal as its tails seemed to adorn it. But what seemed to interest Itachi most was the fox's gaze; even for a carving, it seemed to look into the depths of one's soul. He ran his thumb around the edge of the accessory, frowning slightly as he felt a jagged edge that wasn't noticeable before. He shrugged and decided to carve it into a smooth circular shape when he arrived home and placed it on the counter as well.

"Do you want the accompanying piece?" The elder's voice startled Itachi and he gave the man a questioning look.

"Pardon me?"

"There's a keychain that goes along with it; a pair of two, if you will," the man said, pointing to where Itachi had picked up the accessory. Dark eyes followed the finger and his gaze found another ornament resembling the one he just found. It, too, had a whirlpool and he grasped it before turning it around. He was surprised at the sight of the raven on the back of the item and his fingers ran across the engraving as he thought to himself. This, too, had a jagged edge, similar to the first accessory. The Uchiha looked up as the man handed him the keychain with the fox on it. He attached the two rough edges, surprised when they clicked in place. The outer bordering trimmings created a lemniscate, the symbol of infinity. He looked at it in awe before the man's voice drew him from his thoughts.

"These two trinkets represent entwining souls; in one way or another, the recipients of these two keychains will forever be joined in destiny." Itachi looked at the two ornaments for a moment, thinking to himself the words that were just spoken to him. He closed his eyes as he made a decision before placing them both on the counter, next to the frog-purse.

"I'll take them both, please." The store owner nodded and calculated the items before Itachi handed over the money for his purchase. The Uchiha bid farewell to the owner noted that the sun was setting. He clicked his tongue in displeasure and quickly made his way back home.

His mother would give him hell for being late and he feared nothing more than his angry mother.

**~0~**

**I**t was almost sunset when Itachi arrived at the gates. He quickly made his way inside, putting his sandals into the _getabako_ and adorning his slippers before he made his way into the house.

"_Tadaima_," he called out and his mother greeted him as she exited the kitchen.

"_Okaeri_, Itachi-kun. You're awfully late today," she said as she took her son's bag from him. She quickly set the bag in front of the door to his room before heading to the living space where Itachi was sitting drinking a cup of tea. She sat before him and waited patiently for her husband to make his appearance; at this rate, they were going to be late for their reservation!

"So, what did you get Naruto-chan, Itachi?" Mikoto asked to spend the time. Of course she was curious, but if she didn't occupy her mind she'd get angry. And an angry Uchiha, Mikoto was not something Naruto would like to see on his birthday. Itachi merely smiled and continued to sip his tea quietly, ignoring his mother's silent tantrum. He would not satiate his mother's curiosity nor involve himself in the storm that was to come. His father should handle that all by himself.

Mikoto pouted as her son was obviously ignoring her and silently berated him for it. _He's getting too smart for his own good. Why couldn't they remain cuter for a little longer? _she asked herself quietly. The sound of the front door being opened was heard and she immediately jumped up.

"_Okaeri!_" she shouted as Fugaku made his way into the living space, a little shocked at his wife's outburst. He quickly glanced at the clock and let out of a sigh of relief; he wasn't late. He looked at his wife who seemed to be slightly jittery before glancing at Itachi who merely gave him a shrug and continued to sip his tea.

"Sasuke-kun, Naruto-chan, we're going for dinner now!" Mikoto yelled and immediately the two boys came running, a grin on both their faces. Sasuke approached his father who ruffled his hair before turning back to Itachi and his wife.

"Are you guys ready?" At their affirmative nods, he made his way back to the _genkan, _chuckling as he heard Naruto's excited chants of "_Yakiniku, yakiniku!_"

_This is exactly what a family should be like_, the father thought and he turned to the blond who was putting on his shoes. Naruto, sensing the elder's gaze, looked up and grinned and Fugaku nearly felt his heart stop.

He looked exactly like Minato in that moment.

He shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts of the past and mussed Naruto's blond locks, ignoring the weak protests. "Hurry up, family, or the owners will yell at us for being late to the reservation time," he said as he opened the front door. Fugaku took a deep breath of the evening air and let it out, eyes wandering to the stars in the sky.

_Don't worry__,__ Minato. I'll take good care of your son._ He looked behind to take another glance at Naruto before turning back to the sky. _For as long as I live, I'll try my best to be the father you wanted to be for him._

**~0~**

**C**ricket chirps echoed in the cool autumn night, the calm sounds interrupted by a loud belch. Sasuke made a face while Naruto laughed it off, stretching his hands in the air. He turned to look at the parents behind him and smiled.

"Thank you very much for the dinner, Uchiha-_jisan_, Uchiha-_bachan_! It was the best _yakiniku _I ever had!" The couple smiled at the blond, slowing their pace. Naruto continued to walk backwards with the ever-so-bright grin on his face before Itachi scolded him to turn around in case he'd get hurt. He pouted but complied and reached to take Itachi's hand while taking Sasuke's in the other. They walked slowly and were blanketed with a comforting silence. Naruto sighed in happiness; he couldn't have asked for anything more on his birthday.

His attention was peaked when Itachi gave him a slight pull to the right. He looked to see that they were straying from the usual path to the Uchiha compound. He glanced back at the parents out of curiosity, only to see them give him innocent smiles before he turned to Sasuke.

"Ne, Sasuke, where are we going?" he whispered, as to not catch the attention of the other three. Blue eyes watched his friend shrug and he frowned; not knowing secrets was a great weakness for the blond.

"Mama and papa said that we were going to take a long walk today because the weather was nice," Sasuke replied, sending Itachi a quick look. He hoped that his voice didn't waver because he didn't want to give anything away. After all, his parents had spent a lot of time thinking about what they would give to Naruto; it wouldn't be fair to spoil the surprise. At this, the young Uchiha's mood seemed to deflate slightly. He didn't know what his parents were planning and he didn't enjoy being kept in the dark as much as his friend did. But because his parents asked him to keep it a secret, he would do it for them, especially since they asked for his help.

**~0~**

**H**ealing quickly was something I was quite talented at. I've been through several months of abuse from the villagers and even when I had a rock thrown at me at the academy two years ago, I recovered pretty quickly. But it was all thanks to Sasuke and the support of his family.

Nobody could replace them.

They treated me like family and I loved them so much for it. They made sure to include me in everything whenever I was over and Sasuke made the biggest effort to make me comfortable, no matter where we were.

So why was my heart pounding so painfully, then?

I recognized this street a few minutes ago when we made the turn. At first, I didn't think much of it because Sasuke said that we were going for a long walk. I can trust him, not only because he's my best friend, but because he's never lied to me before. But my curiosity started to eat away at me and I just couldn't help but feel wary. This path is one I take daily; a path full of ridicule and shame. The only positive thing about this road is that at the end of it, I can meet my best friend and his smiling face.

I squeezed Sasuke and Itachi's hands tighter as this worrisome feeling continued to eat away at me. I started to drag my feet in an attempt to slow the pace as with each step, things started to become clearer and clearer.

This was the way back to the orphanage.

I peeked at the Uchiha couple from the corner of my eye and they were both smiling at me. I quickly turned away, my face feeling hot and eyes beginning to water. I thought I was sleeping over at their house instead of the orphanage tonight. Why were they sending me back? Did I do something wrong at dinner? Were they made at me for asking for _yakiniku_?

Why were we going back to the orphanage?

I held onto the siblings' hands tighter and huddled closer to Sasuke in an attempt to comfort myself. No, they weren't going to throw me away. I believe in them, I trust them, they're like my family. But despite this continuous mantra I kept repeating, it didn't help ease my anxiety one bit. As we stopped in front of the orphanage, I could've sworn my face fell and I couldn't help but glare at the sign adorning the outside gates.

_Konoha Peace Orphan__age; A home for children who wait for their new, loving families._

"Mama, what are we doing here?" I heard Sasuke ask and I felt him let go of my hand. I panicked inside; this was it, they were leaving me. My best friend and his family were leaving me. Just because they felt like family didn't mean that they were my family. Immediately my heart seemed to slow as Sasuke wrapped an arm around my shoulders, drawing me closer. I let go of Itachi's hand at that point and wrapped my arms around my friend's midsection, the beat of his heart soothing my nerves ever-so-slightly. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath.

_Don't worry, Naruto. They won't leave you_, I kept repeating to myself, trying to assure myself.

"Naruto-kun, can you introduce us to your caretaker?" I heard Uchiha-_bachan_ say. I lifted my face to see her kind eyes and I nodded. Hesitantly, I removed myself from Sasuke's warm embrace and reached for Mikoto-san's hands. She reached out and entwined her fingers in my own and, with another deep breath, I approached the steps to the orphanage.

"Granny, I'm home!" I shouted. I could hear the children's excited screams come from the dinner table and soft shouts of, "Now eat your dinner, children!" before I saw the face of my caretaker appear in the hallway. She seemed surprised to see me (and believe me, I was surprised to be here) and stepped a bit to the side to see who was behind me. I immediately let go of Mikoto-san's hand and moved to the side to give her and Fugaku-san view and access into the building.

"Uchiha-san, this is my caretaker. Granny, these are Sasuke's parents," I said, my voice cracking slightly. I felt a hand grasp mine and turned to see Sasuke smiling warmly at me. I couldn't help but smile back.

_Everything is going to be all right_, I told myself. _Sasuke is here_.

I felt a hand placed on my shoulder and looked to see Mikoto-san crouch down to my eye-level. "Naruto-kun, we need to speak to your caregiver for moment. Can you go show Sasuke around?" I nodded and tugged on Sasuke's hand, before turning to Itachi.

"Ita-_nii, _do you want to come look at my room?" I asked, shuffling my feet. I saw him shake his head with a smile and frowned. Did Itachi see me as a bother?

"Mother and father need me for something, so I can't. But maybe next time when I'm not busy you can show me your room," he said with a smile. Immediately I felt better and made my way to my room, Sasuke in hand.

We made it to my room, which was decorated with a pale blue wall paper. There were several pictures I drew of Sasuke, his family, and myself covering the walls of my side of the room. I blushed; I never expected that Sasuke would see them. I sat down on my bed and watched as he looked around the room and sat down next to me.

"I like your pictures," he said and, if possible, I flushed even darker.

"Thanks," I replied and hugged a pillow to myself, hiding my face from Sasuke. We sat in silence for a few moments before the question that has been nagging at me this entire night decided to voice itself.

"Sasuke, why do you think your mama and papa brought us here?" I saw him shrug and I returned to burying my face in the pillow. Slowly I felt my eyes close due to drowsiness and I leaned against Sasuke's shoulder. I felt him hug me closer and I sighed, shutting my eyes to let sleep claim me.

After what seemed like an eternity, I felt myself being shaken and peeked an eye open. I sat up and yawned, looking to my side to see Sasuke sprawled over the bed and yawning as well. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as Itachi placed a suitcase before me and pointed to it.

"Wake up, sleepy. Tell me what things are yours so I can help you pack." At this, all traces of sleep disappeared from my body and I looked at him curiously. Pack?

He seemed to understand my curious gaze but said nothing further. He walked to what he assumed was my dresser (which it was) and started to gather the clothes inside and fold them neatly into the luggage. The door to the room creaked open and Fugaku, Mikoto, and granny all walked in with smiles on their faces. Immediately, the elderly lady came and gathered me in her arms.

"Oh, Naruto, I'm so happy for you." She squeezed the air out of me and I pushed against her in protest, but questions were still up in the was I packing? Why was she happy for me? As soon as she let me go, I looked to the Uchiha couple who smiled at me. I returned a nervous smile and Mikoto approached me, grasping my shoulders in her hand.

"Naruto, from today on you're going to live with us."

Wait, repeat that, please?

My eyes must have gone wide from shock as I saw her laugh at me. Mikoto gave me a big hug before making eye contact with me again. "We've adopted you; starting today, you're officially a member of our household. So hurry and pack!"

I felt numb and I just looked from her smiling face to Fugaku, who held a similar look of kindness. He didn't say anything but just nodded at me. I turned to Itachi, who was concentrating on folding my clothes before I turned to Sasuke. He seemed to be just returning from the realms of sleep and he was startled at the amount of room at the people. He noticed his brother packing away some of my clothes and turned to his parents, gaze questioning.

"Mama, what's going on?" I sent him a smile as I passed him to help Ita-_nii_ pack up my things. I was still in disbelief; I couldn't believe that I finally had a family. I heard Mikoto-san explain to Sasuke the situation and suddenly found him hugging me tightly.

"Naruto, I'm so happy for you!" he cried, repeating the same words the caretaker had uttered. "You finally have a family now; _we're _your family now!" I'm not sure if it was because these words were repeated so often in the few minutes that passed by or if it was because it was Sasuke that said them, but it finally hit me.

I had a _family_ now.

Immediately, I felt the tears gather in my eyes and I wiped them away in vain. Before I knew it, I started to weep loudly, my voice letting out a pained cry. I felt myself become encased in warm arms and I heard the door close, but it didn't matter at that point.

This was my family now.

**~0~**

**I **was finally settled into my new room, which was right next to Sasuke's. It was decorated in a warm, earthly orange color that reminded me of the dark clay mud near river banks. All my pictures that I drew of my new family were already adorning the walls. My bed sheets were a soft blue and my bookshelf was filled with some of my favorite books; this was the best present I could ever ask for. I couldn't thank Mikoto and Fugaku-san enough. My room was the ideal picture of perfect. Honestly, what more could I need?

I heard a knock sound and after a soft, "Come in" Itachi entered with a bundle in his hands. I was surprised to see him, as I thought he already went to sleep. He held out his hands and I instinctively reached up to take the package from him. I smiled at him, feeling happier when he returned the gesture.

"Happy Birthday, Naruto," he whispered. He gave me a soft kiss on the forehead and I blushed before my eyes traveled to the package I was holding in my hands. It was neatly wrapped and my hands stopped, hesitating, before taking a firm grasp of the ribbon. I neatly separated the wrapping paper and smiled when I saw what lie inside. To be honest, my cheeks were beginning to hurt because of all the smiling I've been doing today.

It was a soft-looking, green little frog. It had a zipper for a mouth and I picked it up, a little startled as something fell from its side. I fiddled with what looked like a keychain hanging from the frog's zipper mouth and looked at it intently. There was an emblem of a wise-looking fox on it with a whirlpool on the back; it was beautiful. I opened the pouch to find a small note inside. Taking a quick glance at Itachi, who seemed to be staring intently, I unraveled the wad of paper and began to read.

_To Naruto, who has become a precious member of our family._

_May all your memories from this point out be priceless treasures. I hope all your dreams will come true on this special day. Use this money pouch to save for whatever you wish; I hope that it will go towards something you will treasure forever._

I felt slightly light-headed as I became overwhelmed with emotions. At this rate, this family would give me a heart attack of happiness. I quickly gave Itachi a heart-full hug, squeezing tightly.

"Thank you so much, Ita-_nii_. I'll take good care of it, I promise." I felt him return the hug and give me another peck on the forehead before he stood up and walked to the open door. He turned and gave me a smile before bidding me goodnight.

I sat in the same position for a while, just looking at the pouch and the keychain before looking at my surroundings. Pinching myself to make sure it wasn't a dream, I placed the frog on top of my dresser before reaching for a pillow. I hugged it to my chest before walking out of my room into Sasuke's and saw him lying down. Slowly and quietly, I crawled into bed besides him and I felt him shift in his sleep.

"Naruto?" he questioned, rubbing his eyes before looking at me. I smiled at him sheepishly and plopped down next to him, snuggling closer.

"I just didn't want to sleep alone tonight. Is it okay if I sleep next to you, Sasuke?" He smiled at me and drew me closer, before settling in his covers to get comfortable.

"Of course it's okay; we're family now." And with a heart that was about to burst of happiness, I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

**~0~**

**D**ark eyes observed the sleeping boys in the room quite sadly. If he could change what he was about to do, he would. But life wasn't fair at all; this was necessary to prevent another war.

"Captain, we need to proceed with the mission." He narrowed his eyes at the sound of the voice and quickly turned to glare at his subordinate.

"Do not tell me what we need and don't need to do," he whispered angrily. He looked back at the boys before taking a glance at his watch. After a few seconds, the hour hand 'clicked' to twelve and it was midnight. He motioned at the team to head in.

"Proceed and be as quiet as possible," he said, staying back. When he was given this mission, he was shocked. Grinning bitterly, he remembered the mocking faces of the council members. They were such savages, thinking of no one but themselves. They didn't care about the people that were hurt in the process to cover their tracks. As long as they were clear, they would do anything to achieve it. He agreed to this mission on one condition only.

His team would carry it out, while he remained on look out.

The council agreed after some dispute, but the damage was already done on the captain. What was the term?

He was guilty by association.

He clenched his teeth as he watched his team infiltrate the neighboring building where Uchiha, Fugaku was located and caught up to them as they made their way inside. He tried but couldn't tear his eyes away at the struggle that ensued inside. Clearly, the clan leader lived up to his name as he managed to take out half of his team before he was caught by a paralyzing _senbon_. The man pulled out the poison-covered needle and gasped for air before falling to the floor. He watched the rest of the team approach the man and left his post to enter the room. He gazed at Fugaku with sad eyes and his heart clenched painfully every time he heard the struggling gasp for air.

It was when he met his father's eyes that he nearly felt his heart stop.

The guilt of the mission began to eat away at that moment and the images of a smiling Naruto and Sasuke filled his head. He heard his mother's laughter and felt her warm embrace. He remembered his father's praises and harsh reprimanding before being encased in a hug. And then, after all those thoughts, only one image haunted him.

His crying family.

In his mind, he saw his family crying in pain, his mother, his brother, and Naruto. He shut his eyes as the image of a desolate Naruto kept invading his mind, and closing his eyes didn't help in keeping that image away. It was awful timing for this mission to take place.

"I…Itachi." The said man was drawn from his thoughts and he looked at his father with tear-filled eyes. They would not spill, he would not allow them to spill, but inside he was screaming at the unfairness in this world.

"I'm sorry," Itachi whispered. He looked away as a team member came up to the dying man and forced a katana through Fugaku's flesh, piercing his heart. A lone tear made its way down his face and Itachi let out a silent sob as his father took his last breath.

_I'm sorry._

**~0~**

**O**ut of all the things that could happen to me, I couldn't believe it was _this. _

It was raining and I was soaked, but I didn't give much thought to it. I didn't even care that it had been the happiest day of my life yesterday, because…

It was because today was the worst day of my life.

My heart felt like it had been torn in two and I couldn't help the tears that were falling. I look to the picture of the stern-looking man with kind eyes before looking over to Sasuke, whose fists were clenched. My heart hurt even more as I watched the tears fall from his eyes and I felt helpless, because I didn't know what to do to stop them from falling. I looked back to the picture and didn't bother to wipe my own.

As soon as I gain a father, I lose him. Is this God punishing me for the sins I have committed in my past life? Was I someone who was not meant to experience happiness?

My dreams of experiencing happiness with the family I always yearned for was short lived.

It was discovered today that Fugaku was killed in his office in the neighboring building. Mikoto was in shock and Sasuke hadn't spoken the entire day. The funeral was arranged immediately and it had begun to rain halfway through the observance. My voice betrayed me as I let out a cry and I felt someone gather me in their arms. At that moment, I didn't care who it was and pulled them closer, wishing for any human contact.

This couldn't be true. If I could have it, I would take back my adoption just to have Fugaku live.

After what felt like an eternity the arms around me disappeared. The crowd emptied and the rain slowed into a soft drizzle. Mikoto had returned inside after all the guests had left, probably to rest from the shock that she had received. Itachi left with his mother and also looked worse for wear.

But Sasuke looked sickly. I turned to my friend who was still in the same position. He hadn't spoken at all or even uttered a single sound since we were first delivered the news. I pulled him inside to get him out of the rain and he put up no resistance; it was as if he was an empty shell.

I gritted my teeth and entered the house before dragging him into his room. I grabbed a towel from the linen closet and dried his hair before handing him some dry clothes.

"Sasuke," I winced as my voice broke. I couldn't be sad right now, I had to stay strong for Sasuke. "Sasuke," I repeated. "Please, dry yourself and change into these and go to sleep. Okay?" I turned to leave to my own room and shut the door behind me gently. I slowly walked to my room and approached my bed, drying myself and changing into another set of clothes before gathering a pillow to my chest.

Slowly the tears began to fall and I screamed wildly into the pillow I was holding.

Why, why, why, why, _why? _

Why did this have to happen? Why was it Fugaku-san? _Why was it my precious family?_

I cried and continued to cry until I felt that I had no more tears to produce. I lay down on my bed, rubbing my itchy (and probably swollen) eyes. I looked out the window at the moon before I sat up and faced the wall that was dividing my room from Sasuke's. My heart clenched as I thought about my friend, who had still yet to utter a word. He had cried silently and hadn't talked no matter what I did.

Slowly, I stood up, grabbed my damp pillow, and made my way back to Sasuke's room. I let out a sigh of relief as I saw that he had changed. His back was to the door and I approached him quietly, wincing at the creaks the floor was making.

"Sasuke?"

I was met with silence and I crawled into bed with him, just like the previous night. "Sasuke, I'm lonely. And cold, and my heart hurts…" _And I wish Fugaku-san was still alive_.

Suddenly Sasuke turned around in the bed and pulled me closer, burying his head in the crook of my neck. I felt it become moist with his tears and suddenly he let out such a pained cry that I felt my own eyes water. He continued to cry and I let him, rubbing soothing circles in his back as I let more of my tears fall.

We remained in that embraced position for the remainder of the night, crying out all the pain our souls were feeling at that moment.

**-**_**Chapter o4 ~ Family ~ End-**_

**Chibi Chidori's Nonsense:  
**Um…Please, don't hate me. I cried writing this chapter.  
P.S.  
To avoid discrepancies; I know Naruto's frog pouch was a clip and lock one, but for story purposes, I changed it to a zipper-mouth instead.

Thank you for reading! Reviews are always appreciated and welcomed; please let me know what you think of the story!


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